|
Date |
Ship
Cruise Line |
Event |
Type of Incident |
| July 28 |
Norwegian Dawn
Norwegian Cruise Line |
AOL News reports a 37-year-old financial analyst from Maryland was yanked off the ship in Bermuda and charged with importing marijuana. He was nabbed with 7.66 grams of pot. He had traveled to Bermuda last week on a weeklong cruise from New York. The Royal Gazette quotes a prosecutor as saying other passengers had complained they smelled cannabis smoke coming from the cabin Koumoulis shared with his brother. Ship crew went in and found Koumoulis alone. They also found two Ziploc bags containing an "unknown substance" and three packages of cigarette papers. Police came onboard, and when questioned the man admitted the drugs were his, the Gazette says. Appearing this week in Magistrates' Court, he said he had made a "very, very stupid mistake." In addition to being held on the island nation (and missing the rest of his cruise), he was fined $1,500. |
Drug arrest |
| July 28 |
Sapphire Princess
Princess Cruises |
Anchorage Daily News reports federal authorities are investigating the cause of death of a whale found stuck on the bow of the ship near Juneau this morning. The Coast Guard says the whale, which appears to be a juvenile humpback, was discovered on top of the bulbous bow of the Sapphire Princess about 8 a.m. as the ship was south of Juneau near Tracy Arm. The ship waited south of Juneau following the discovery while a tugboat crew worked to dislodge the carcass. The vessel was cleared to proceed to port after 3 p.m. The tugboat was hauling the carcass to an undisclosed location where authorities could conduct a necropsy to determine the cause of death of the whale. |
Whale impaled |
| July 26 |
Celebrity Eclipse
Celebrity Cruises |
From a passenger: We just returned from the 10 July sailing from Southampton to the Baltic.
We received a letter of a chickenpox outbreak on day 2.
Also had someone removed from the ship which delayed sailing in Warnemunde, Germany... medical emergency of some sort,
looked like a young person taken away in an ambulance. |
Chicken pox |
| July 26 |
Oceanic Discoverer
Coral Princess Cruises |
New Zealand Herald reports two separate investigations have been launched into an accident on the ship at the Port of Napier yesterday which has left a seaman fighting for his life. The 34-year-old Australian man, of Sri Lankan descent, was in a critical condition in Hawke's Bay Hospital this morning after he was crushed between a fire door and a bulkhead during a safety drill. The man was trapped for five minutes before being freed by crew and resuscitated. He has had surgery for crush injuries to his chest, abdomen and pelvis. Theship, which arrived in Napier yesterday, did not leave for the Marlborough Sounds last night as scheduled. It is being held in port while the investigations take place and there is also a manning issue now. |
Crew seriously injured |
| July 26 |
Emerald Princess
Princess Cruises |
CBS4 News reports the ship left Port Everglades bound for an island in the Bahamas, apparently developing problems at around 6:30 PM, shortly after leaving the port, causing it to operate on half of its power and leaving passengers without air conditioning. Passengers onboard reported that conditions onboard are rough because the air conditioning is not working. The Coast Guard said a computer glitch is to blame. The ship's engines were knocked out momentarily. But the ship's chief engineer has been able to get at least two of those engines up and running, according to the Coast Guard's report. The engineer is working on getting the third engine powered up, officials said. UPDATE: CBS4 reports the problems was resolved by 11:00 PM. The ship skipped its port call at Princess Cays. |
Engine problems - No A/C |
| July 25 |
Carnival Liberty
Carnival Cruise Lines |
A poster at Cruise Critic reports while pulling into Half Moon Cay a man went overboard. Speculation there was a couple fighting badly in the casino last night and he jumped. Felt like forever to get him but we think we saw movement after they got him on the lifeboat. A subsequent post gives more details: So here is what I know. I was walking down the hall to my room when I heard "bravo bravo starboard side". Within seconds I got to my door and could here the other people in our party out on the deck with raised voices. I ran outside to find that they saw the man actually fall below. They had heard people start to scream and they looked over the balcony to see him falling from what they could tell right around the lifeboats. He stayed submerged for what felt like was 30 seconds or so. Someone did manage to throw out a ring and it appeared he had it but we later realized he didn't. I think he tried swimming and fighting the ocean for awhile...and he completely went out of sight...he then reappeared floating on his back. The crew did an excellent job...but it was very scary. When the lifeboat finally reached him they struggled to get him on the lifeboat but they got him in. When the lifeboat came around and we could see inside they were not performing CPR so we assumed he was awake. We have heard around the ship that he is alive. Somebody on the ship said it was a band member who got into an argument in the casino....not sure about all the details. The whole ordeal probably took about five to ten minutes. Whatever the reason ..I hope he is okay. |
Crew member overboard - Rescued alive |
| July 25 |
Thomson Dream
Thomson Cruises |
Wales News reports two Welsh friends are threatening legal action after their dream cruise turned into a nightmare. They claim they found fleas in their beds and smelly sewage on the carpets. They also say they were struck down with sickness and diarrhoea, and had to stay on board when the ship docked at Tunisia, Barcelona, Sardinia and Egypt. One woman, in her 50s, said the toilets in her cabin were so bad she had to climb several decks to reach a good one. The pair travelled on the cruise ship between May 25 and June 2 this year. They boarded in Palma, Majorca, and immediately had to hold their noses because of the strong smell of sewage. Carmen said: “We just couldn’t believe it and obviously imagined it would be temporary. “But throughout the whole trip a number of the toilets were overflowing. “Men were running around with spanners trying to fix things but that should have been done before anyone stepped on board.” A spokeswoman for Thomson Cruises has confirmed there were plumbing-related issues during the friends’ cruise. But the firm has assured that this problem had now been completely resolved. NOTE: The ship was previously Costa Europa (see February 26 below). |
Sewage problems |
| July 24 |
Splendida
MSC Cruises |
Italian News reports two Spanish tourists fell about ten meters from the ship during landing operations in Genoa, falling first on the dock and then into the sea. The accident occurred around 13:10. The woman died; the man who has sixty years was taken "code red" (the most severe) to San Martino hospital emergency room with a concussion and a broken leg. It appears from news reports there were other passengers who also fell. The cause is that the gangway from the ship to the quay collapsed as passengers were disembarking. According to Spanish News, the 62-year-old from Barcelona was boarding the ship with her husband and friends when the top step of the gangplank gave way. Sixty-year-old Fausto del Charro, also from Barcelona, also fell from the gangplank and hit the quay but is out of danger, suffering only some bruises. "We were just about to step onto the ship when my husband literally disappeared in front of me, falling into the void," said the man's wife. |
Fall from gangway- death |
| July 22 |
Independence
American Cruise Lines |
Bangor Daily News reports the 100 passenger cruise ship allegedly released waste into the harbor as it was tied up to the town pier on Monday. The incident happened around 10:30 Monday morning and involved gray water. It isn't known how much was released, it was enough to discolor the water around the ship and had some odor to it. Jane Disney, a town councilor who is also director of the community lab, said Wednesday that the lab tested the water next to the ship about two hours after the discharge was detected. She said the lab found levels of the bacteria enterococcus at 228 parts per 100 million, slightly more than twice the concentration level of the bacteria that correlates to illness in humans. |
Environmental |
| July 16 |
Dawn Princess
Princess Cruises |
A poster at Princess Chatter reports on the ship's 104 day World Cruise, Sydney to Sydney, The ship missed Safaga a while ago due to engine problems. Ship left Southampton on 14 July and yesterday tried to berth at Dublin, Captain decided not to because of operational problems, high winds, so she missed Dublin. Now has 7 sea days to Boston USA. Lot of unhappy cruisers on board, such is life. |
Missed port |
| July 13 |
Fantasy
Carnival Cruise Lines |
From a passenger: On July 9, 2010 in the afternoon while still docked in freeport, bahamas, my husband and I heard a frantic voice over the intercom system announce "Bright star sports deck" ... later on that night the captain announced there had been an unfortunate accident and a crew member died. The captain said his name was Adam but i could not understand his last name. I tried to ask the our waiter and a few other crew members but they wouldn't tell us what happened... wish i knew more information!! |
Crew death |
| July 13 |
Carnival Victory
Carnival Cruise Lines |
CBS News reports a 14-year-old girl was killed late Monday morning at a stop in St Thomas, Virgin Islands, when the tourist-packed safari bus on which she was riding was caught in the crossfire between what is believed to be warring gangs. One of the gunmen was also was killed, and another is on the loose. The shooting has caused the cruise line to cancel all tours to the popular Coki Beach area. Carnival said a second unidentified passenger was also sustained "minor injuries". |
Pax killed ashore |
| July 12 |
Sapphire Princess
Princess Cruises |
From a passenger:
We just returned from our Alaska cruise leaving Seattle July 4th, 2010 and returning July 11th, 2010. One night my family and I were in the dining room when all of the sudden the boat felt like it was sinking. Glasses flew off the water station. A lot of items were thrown off into the ground. The water level rose to the dining room windows. I saw one man who had been sitting and eating completely fall out of his chair the list was so severe. I was thrown on the other side of the dining room. About a minute later the ship right sided. About 3 to 5 minutes later an announcement was made that a hump back whale had traversed in front of the ship and the crew took evasive actions to avoid hitting the whale. I find this incident to be suspicious as I have to ask why the crew would risk passenger safety for a whale ? I am not sure the extent of the injuries (if any at all). I just know the incident had scared the heck out of us. |
Severe list |
| July 1 |
Fascination
Carnival Cruise Lines |
USA Today reports lost power Wednesday for several hours and was adrift at sea. Carnival says the ship, which sails out of Jacksonville, Fla., had a "technical malfunction" while on the last leg of a five-day voyage that began on Saturday. Power was restored after several hours and the ship resumed travel to Jacksonville. The ship will arrive at Jacksonville today around 10 a.m., roughly three hours behind schedule. The line says the delay would have been shorter if not for tidal conditions. Embarkation for the ship's next voyage, a four-day cruise to the Bahamas, will be delayed until 1:30 p.m. today, the line says. The voyage is expected to depart on time at approximately 4 p.m., the line says. |
Engine porblems |
| June 29 |
Norwegian Dawn
Norwegian Cruise Line |
The Royal Gazette reports a 53-year-old man yesterday admitted sexually assaulting a teenage girl on the cruise ship while he was at dinner with his wife and son. He was fined $5,000 after he was accused of inappropriately touching the 18-year-old with his foot under a dinner table. He pleaded guilty to sexual assault when he appeared at Magistrates' Court, but insisted he was only resting his foot on the girl's knee and had no idea it was making her uncomfortable. According top crown counsel, the man met the victim and her family at Tobacco Bay on June 23 and after returning to the cruise ship, the families agreed to have dinner together. During the meal, his foot started to touch the victim's leg. "At that point, she thought it was an accident. When it happened again, she apologised. It happened again, and so she said she gave him a look. The defendant then slid down his chair, and began to feel her legs with his foot. She crossed her legs to discourage him, but he tried to use his feet to pry open her legs." The victim left the table during dessert and told Police that she returned to her room feeling violated and cried. The man was fine $5,000, the jundge saying: "It can't be put down to just an accidental rubbing of the foot. It was not just resting, it was deliberate and prolonged." |
Sexual assault |
| June 27 |
Norwegian Jade
Norwegian Cruise Line |
From a reader: On June 24, 2010, I was in port in Naples, Italy while travelling on the Celebrity Equinox. At a pizzeria, I met two separate couples who were passengers on the NCL Jade. Each told of a murder that had just occurred on their ship. One even spoke of a cabin on their floor being sealed off with crime scene tape. It was their understanding that a husband had murdered his wife and that he was taken into custody in Naples by Italian police. I have not been able to independently verify this information and out of pure curiosity wondered if you have any information? The couples also spoke of returning to Barcelona shortly after initial departure due to the death of a crew member. A female bartender had apparently died of a heart attack. Sounded like a pretty morbid cruise! Another reader writes: I believe my wife and I were one of the couples the preceding post is referencing. On the morning of Wednesday, June 23, 2010 were docked in Civitavecchia/Rome. Upon meeting for our shore excursion in the Stardust Theatre we were told of a delay in being "cleared" to proceed off the ship and that we would be notified when the "officials" would give this clearance. About one and a half hours later we were allowed to get off the ship and proceed with our day. We toured Rome with about thirty other cruise mates throughout the day. At the very end of our tour our guide asked us if we wanted to know why we were so late with the officials clearing us to get off the ship. Of course we were curious so we all said yes. She, a local guide from the Rome area, stated very admittedly that "a man had strangled his wife." We were like, whoa! She said we were only allowed off the ship after "the man confessed." She didn't want to get us any more details and said we could find our more info from the ship. Of course, none of the staff on the ship appeared to have a clue. Everything was hush hush. We were at a corner pizzeria in Naples on June 24th when we were talking with a group traveling on the Equinox. Another couple at the pizzeria from our ship spoke of the same incident and the crime scene tape. As a side note, I'm a police officer and noticed uniformed police and investigators (suits) from the Italian police at the ship when we returned from Rome as well as board the ship in morning when we docked in Naples. Yes, this all left a strange feeling on the ship for the duration of the cruise. I wish the staff of the ship, particularly the captain, would have set the record straight to those who were concerned.
Commenting on the last part of the previous post about the heart attack victim on Sunday, June 20, 2010: we were only told a person was very sick and that we were turning around to head back to Barcelona, which was less than two hours from when we set sail to Monaco.And another writes: We too were delayed onboard in port for over 2 hours without a clear explanation from the cruise staff. Later that day we witnessed the removal of a body and the gut-wrenching scene as the children cried and screamed for their mother's body to be left alone. We heard a crew member say it was a pregnant woman who committed suicide. (This makes more sense, as the entire ship would have been held on-board until it was deemed suicide and not murder.) NCL definately handled it in a callous manner. People gossip and talk, and by providing no information NCL only served to create more rumours and speculation. |
??Muder onboard?? |
| June 26 |
Infinity
Celebrity Cruises |
From a passenger: During our June 18th to June 25 cruise to Alaska There were two major problems. The first in Ketchecan on June 20. We were unable to depart for 5 or 6 hours due to the bridge not able to control the engines. This forced them to skip the Tracy Arm fiords the main reason we took this trip. They gave us a $200.00 credit per stateroom which was an insult. Problem 2 on June 23rd in Skagway an electrical fire caused the power to go out for a few hours during the early seating dinner. They did not keep us informed and we left for the second time. They offered no compensation. This was our 10th cruise and the first bad one. Won't recommend Celebrity. |
Fire, Engine problems |
| June 25 |
Jewel of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
The Daily Gazette reports passengers have been struck by norovirus for the second time in a month. More than 80 people were said to be suffering symptoms of the norovirus when it docked yesterday. Earlier this month, 292 guests and 16 crew contracted the illness. Passengers due to join the ship this week were told it would be sailing later than planned to allow the vessel to be thoroughly cleaned. |
Illness |
| June 23 |
Opera
MSC Cruises |
From a passenger: RE: June 4-14 cruise - norovirus was confirmed on the ship with over 400 passengers taken ill; passengers were vomiting in the reception area. Doctors visits were free and tours were being refunded. |
Illness |
| June 23 |
Liberty of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
KDKA-TV reports a 71 year old man has been charged with traveling across state lines intending to molest a child. According to the FBI, he boarded the ship for a week-long voyage. The lead agent in this case testified in federal court what allegedly happened on the morning of Dec. 18. 2009. "Based on the testimony in court today, he was alleged to have attempted to fondle a boy in a hot tub on a cruise ship," FBI agent Julie Halferty said. ABC Action News reports the man admitted he got onto a Florida cruise ship to have a sexual encounter with a child. Investigators say he went into the children's area during a December cruise and fondled a 6-year-old boy in a hot tub. The FBI says surveillance footage shows him putting his arm around the boy and pull him onto his lap. NOTE: Analysis of crime reports to the FBI reveal that a minor is the victim in more than 18% (perhaps as high as 30%) of sex related incidents on cruise ships. |
Child molestation |
| June 23 |
|
The Detroit Free Press reports more than two dozen unhappy customers sued Park West Gallery on Tuesday, saying the Southfield-based company sold them fake, forged or overpriced artwork. The suit, filed in Oakland County Circuit Court, is the latest in a flurry of litigation against Park West, which once billed itself as the world's largest privately owned art gallery. At least seven other state and federal suits are pending in Pontiac and Seattle. Park West Park West operates the art auctions on a number of lines including Norwegian Cruise Line and, until this year, Royal Caribbean. "Park West said it's the victim of predatory lawyers. |
Art auctioneer sued |
| June 21 |
Norwegian Epic
Norwegian Cruise Line |
It has been reported that the ship's arrival into Southampton on Tuesday will be delayed more than seven hours due to a technical issue. The ship is now expected at 5:30 p.m. instead of at 10 a.m. A Norwegian Cruise Line said the problem is a minor technical issue with the propeller shaft. The problem should be repaired in Southampton. The ship was further delayed because the security card system broke down
and passengers had to be signed in by hand.Guests on Norwegian Epic’s two-night inaugural cruise on Tuesday from Southampton are now expected to embark at approximately 8:30 p.m. |
Propulsion problems |
| June 16 |
Carnival Freedom
Carnival Cruise Lines |
From a reader: The ship has missed her port callis in Victoria BC for 3 weeks in a row. The "official" cause is high winds. Odd, in that Oosterdam an identical Holland America vessel has been are able to handle the winds and dock, as do all the other vessels calling into Victoria. 64 port calls this year, 3 misses and all Carnival Spirit. Local press coverage is very bad, and may discourage locals from sailing Carnival if they are that poor at ship handling. Editors note: Given the stop in Victoria is in order to comply with US cabotage laws, it is curious whether the cruise line has been able to have the US waive the $300 per passenger fine for not stopping at a foreign port. |
Skipped port calls |
| June 15 |
Maasdam
Holland America Line |
The Guardian reports the ship is taking a pass on Charlottetown today because of gusty winds which are expected to strengthen as the day progresses. The vessel, with almost 2,000 passengers and crew aboard, was scheduled to dock at 8 a.m. and depart at 5 p.m. But winds are forecast to approach 80 km/h in gusts this afternoon which might make docking treacherous for the Maasdam which sailed past the P.E.I. capital this morning towards its next port of call. |
Skipped port call |
| June 15 |
Dawn Princess
Princess Cruises |
From a passenger: We are on our World Cruise on the Dawn Princess. The ship has suffered a total propulsion break down, at 5;25PM Dubai time.
Currently the ship is drifting helplessly in the Gulf of Aden on the way to the Port of Safaga Egypt.
The Captain made two announcements stating that the problem was a soft problem and that they were in touch with the technical division head office.
Power propulsion was fully restored at 7:44pm but I will keep you fully informed of further developments. Another person writes that the ship can only do 14 knots and will be going into Port Said for repairs. |
Propulsion problems |
| June 11 |
Royal Caribbean
International |
NBC News and CBS News report an employee of Royal Caribbean in Miami with access to customer information, was arrested Thursday and charged with a host of burglary counts. Investigators say she would use the Royal Caribbean access get information about customers and when they were sailing, and give it to her boyfriend, John Lopez. Police believe Lopez then sold that information to burglars in Palm Beach county. Because the burglars knew when their victims would be in the middle of the ocean, it was a simple thing to strike when convenient. There are reports of as many as 2 dozen victims in Palm Beach County and police are investigating the possibility other victims could live in Miami-Dade and Broward county. All victims are believed to have sailed from cruise ships leaving the Port of Miami or Port Everglades. |
Burglaries |
| June 8 |
Queen Mary 2
Cunard Line |
From a reader: The second night of our trans Atlantic crossing, I was struck with severe vomiting and diarrhea. We notified our room steward who inturn run called medical. They were very nice, gave me a good exam and then gave medication to take for the vomiting and diarrhea. I was quarantined in my cabin, for 3 full days to be sure I was better, but as I chatted with the people that took care of cleaning my room twice a day. Was informed that it had first started during the world cruise and some people continued to get sick. I was #2 or 3, then the numbers went up each day, by the third day they just told me a lot more were sick. While I was sick, It was noted that my waiter at dinner was also sick for a few days and not serving. Now I wonder if I got it from him???? |
Illness |
| June 7 |
Hjatland
Northlink Ferries |
STV News reports the ferry, which operates between Aberdeen and Shetland, has been withdrawn following an outbreak of sickness and diarrhoea and is currently docked at Aberdeen harbour where it will remain for the next 48 hours. Northlink Ferries say the decision was taken after a bus party from Hereford became ill within an hour of boarding the vessel on Friday in Lerwick. It is understood 14, mainly elderly people, reported feeling unwell during the course of the journey. The ship was then subjected to a ten hour chemical deep clean prior to sailing north on Saturday evening but Northlink Ferries decided to withdraw it from service after three members of the Hjaltland crew became ill with similar symptoms on Sunday. The ferry is now being cleaned again and is expected to operate as normal on Wednesday. |
Illness |
| June 7 |
Superstar Aquarius
Genting Hong Kong Ltd |
Health and Community News reports the Department of Health (Hong Kong) has received reports of three chickenpox cases on the ship. Pregnant women and immuno-compromised people should avoid boarding the ship over the next four weeks. The first case involved a 29-year-old male deck utility worker who came down with a fever and rash on May 20. The second case involved another male deck utility worker, 31, who shared a cabin with the first patient before isolation. He developed skin eruptions on his face, scalp, chest and back on June 5. A 22-year-old female card dealer in the casino on board was the third case. She developed eruptions on her face, chest and back on June 6. Passengers who boarded the ship on or after May 15 should seek medical advice if they develop any signs or symptoms of chickenpox or have any concerns about contracting the disease. |
Illness |
| June 5 |
Sapphire Princess
Princess Cruises |
From a reader: The ship will dock at Pier 91 in Seattle on Sunday June 6 with reports that a number of passangers have the symptoms associated with norovirus.Passengers and luggage will be removed from the ship separately and the luggage will be stored and handled separately. June 6: King 5 News reports the cruise line confirmed that 96 passengers had contracted gastrointestinal illness caused by norovirus. |
Illness |
| June 2 |
Vistamar
Plantours & Partner |
BYM Marine and Maritime News reports the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) surveyors today detained the ship at Belfast Docks after numerous faults were identified on board including broken or missing fire doors and failure to maintain the vessel in line with International Safety Management (ISM) code. The passenger vessel had been en route from Invergordon when it docked in Belfast this morning and surveyors boarded the vessel to perform an inspection. In addition to detainable deficiencies there were several further deficiencies including PA systems and emergency lights for liferafts not working. The inspection has now been suspended pending an audit by an ISM auditor. Once this has been satisfactorily completed, MCA Surveyors will once again board the ship and continue their inspection. If they feel that the deficiencies have been rectified the vessel will be allowed to carry on its passage. UPDATE June 5: The BBC reports the ship is expected to set sail on Saturday but the majority of more than 200 passengers, mainly elderly Germans, have already left. The coastguard had said that 10 of the ship's 100 fire doors were faulty. It also said that one of the lifeboat engines would not start. Repairs are continuing on the ship and a further inspection is due on Saturday morning. |
Detained in port |
| May 31 |
Carnival Freedom
Carnival Cruise Lines |
The Orlando Sentinel reportsa bartender accused of raping a 14-year-old girl who was vacationing with her parents will make an appearance in Orlando federal court this week. Hery Krispiyanto, 30, will be arraigned Wednesday on a count of sex abuse of a minor. He was indicted last week. Court records said the teenager was aboard the ship, which left from the Port of Fort Lauderdale in April 2009. While on the cruise, the girl and her parents became acquainted with Krispiyanto. She said Krispiyanto was nice to her and commented that she did not look 1; she told investigators she was alone on the upper deck of the ship one night when Krispiyanto walked up behind her, grabbed her arm and pulled her into a nearby employee-only room and closed the door. He began to touch her inappropriately, and she repeatedly told him to stop; she tried to fight him, but Krispiyanto raped her, the criminal complaint said. The girl reported the incident to her mother in August, and it was then reported to the FBI. When an FBI agent questioned Krispiyanto in April, he first denied the incident, records said. But he subsequently confessed to having sex with the mionor aboard the cruise ship in a pantry area. NOTE: From October 2007 through October 2008 Carnival Cruise Lines reported to the FBI 93 sex related incidents -- in a significant proportion of these incidents the victim was a minor. |
Sexual Assault of Minor |
| May 26 |
Constellation
Celebrity Cruises |
A passenger writes: We took a Baltic Sea cruise on May16 out of Amsterdam and at some point, there were anywhere from 80 to 200 cases of Norovirus in crew and passengers. The ship went into their mode for containing infection, etc. The ship had been in dry dock for refurbishing with much new equipment, etc, and I'm very curious about the cruise that began the day we disembarked. Apparently they were about 4 hours late departing while the ship was sanitized (if that can truly be done). June 6: King 5 News reports the cruise line confirmed that 96 passengers had contracted gastrointestinal illness caused by norovirus. |
Illness |
| May 26 |
Indpendence of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
Dagbladet.no and VG Nett have both reported that 134 passengers have reported ill with norovirus on the current cruise. The ship returns to Southampton May 29th from a 14-day cruise that included Spain and Portugal. Roundtownnews reports the captain decided to dock the ship at Cádiz, after setting off from Southampton on 15th May. An official team of cleaners entered the ship and disinfected it while the passengers were away. The ship continued on its voyage to Lisbon. |
Illness |
| May 26 |
Vision of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
VG Nett reports for the fourth cruise in a row passengers are reporting ill with gastrointestinal illness. So far 22 passengers are known to have become ill. The ship has been referred to as "Vision of Disease" and the head of Oslo School of Management is quoted as saying that the numerous outbreaks and massive media coverage is a serious blow for Royal Caribbean's reputation in Norway. |
Illness |
| May 26 |
Seabourn Pride
Seabourn Cruises |
Cruise Week reports the ship is replacing its port call at Bangkok to Singapore on its July 17th embarkation/debarkation. The change is due to the street violence in Bangkok. The company notes neither the airport nor the alternative seaport at Laem Chabang (Thailand) has been affected. "However, the State Department warning for all of Thailand made our guests nervous, so we substituted Kuantan, Malaysia, for Ko Kood. |
Change homeport |
| May 26 |
Maasdam
Holland America Line |
The Charleston Post and Courier reports Federal, state and local authorities are looking for an Indonesian man who deserted a cruise ship while it was docked in Charleston. The 25 year old crew member owent ashore May 16 some time after 7:30 a.m. and failed to return before the ship departed at 5 p.m. He left his passport with the ship, as is protocol when crew members take shore leave. The only identification he would have is a ship ID photo and an I-95 card issued by U.S. Customs. |
Crew member abandons ship |
| May 25 |
Oasis of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
Fox News reports the U.S. Coast Guard was searching today for a crewmember who went overboard. Dillon Roache, 45, of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, was reported missing Monday and was later confirmed to have gone overboard as the ship made its way from Nassau, Bahamas, to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. The ship retraced the ship’s route to search for Roache but were unable to find him. The ship handed over the search efforts Tuesday morning and continued with a modified itinerary. |
Crew member overboard |
| May 24 |
Star Princess
Princess Cruises |
From a passenger: For the second cruise in a row the Star was unable to dock at Stockholm. This time it was because of 35 knot winds. The Star again anchored off of Nynashamn and passengers were tendered onshore. The operation was faultless due to experience ten days earlier. |
Change of port |
| May 24 |
Opera
MSC Cruises |
Kent Online reports border officers seized 35 kilos of cocaine worth an estimated £1.4 million when it arrived in Dover. Eight Latvian and Lithuanians were arrested and have appeared in court charged with drug smuggling. All eight pleaded not guilty and have been remanded in custody. The ship had arrived in Dover on May 21 on its way to Amsterdam from Brazil. |
Drug bust |
| May 23 |
Deutschland
Peter Deilmann Cruises |
Dagbladet.no reports a fire broke out in the engine room while the ship was docked in Eidfjord, Hordalan (Norway). All passengers have been evacuated. The fire, which broke out around 12:30 P.M., was reportedly put out by 4 p.m. Oslo daily paper Aftenposten said the fire flared again half an hour later but was out by 5 p.m. Emergency personnel report the affected engine compartment was isolated by fire doors and crew began fighting the blaze before shoreside firefighters arrived. The ship arrived from Flam and was scheduled to continue to Hamburg at 19:00 tonight. UPDATE: The ship will be towed to Bergen for an assessment of damage. The seven day cruise scheduled for June 25th has been canceled. |
Fire |
| May 18 |
Oceanic Discoverer
Coral Princess Cruises |
From a passenger: Regarding the cruise running 7 - 17 May: 1) the ship departed 6 hours late from Darwin as it awaited delivery of a spare part; 2) the excursion to the King Cascades was canceled after the crew member driving the zodiac fell into the water trying to retrieve his hat and was severely injured by the propeller; 3) the trip to the Red Cone Creek swimming hole was good, except passengers were stranded there from 3:30 - 11:00 PM (without food and water) because the ship had miscalculated tides and couldn't get to the creek as originally schedued. Passengers on the cruise were compensated with 20% off their next cruise with the company, which wasn't adequate given that this cruise did not make one likely to use the cruise line again. |
Multiple problems |
| May 18 |
Vision of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
Dagbladet.no reports 40 people have reported ill on the currect cruise. This is the third cruise in a row with an outbreak of gastrointentinal illness. UPDATE May 19: Dagbladet.no reports the number reporting ill is now 75. |
|
| May 18 |
Navigator of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
A passenger writes: My wife and I were on the ship from 5-6-10 to 5-18-10 and we both became ill after our stop in Cairo. I am upset because we were told by a crew member that "Oh, when we heard we were going to stop in Cairo again we knew we were going to be busy." S/he also said that most of the people who went on the "Pyramids and Nile Cruise" excursion (which we did) became ill from eating at the restaurant they (RCCL) chose. It upsets me that we relied on them to bring us to a safe place to eat and they did not warn us that people got sick on the last excursion to Cairo.
Is it standard compensation for them to just give a credit for the day(s) you are quarantined? They are offering to give my wife a credit for the one day she was officially quarantined. (We were both sick for at least 4-5 days, but only my wife filled out the forms in the infirmary). |
Food-based illness?? |
| May 16 |
Liberty of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
CBS News reports someone called the company's reservation center in Wichita, Kansas around 5 p.m. Saturday to saythere were explosives on the ship. The ship's security conducted interior security sweeps of the vessel but were unable to find anything. The ship continued it journey and docked in the Port of Miami Sunday around 6:00 a.m. FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection agents conducted a pier-side boarding of the vessel and no explosive material was found. The ship has been permitted to resume operations. |
Bomb threat |
| May 16 |
Grand Princess
Princess Cruises |
The Daily Mirror reports dozens of passengers on a Mediterranean cruise were yesterday confined to their cabins as a result of norovirus. More than 2,500 people are on board - and the number of people becoming ill was said to be growing by the hour. Passengers David and Jackie Greenslade have been confined to cabin since Wednesday.David: "It was supposed to be a dream holiday but it's turned into a nightmare. People are dropping like flies." A spokesman for the cruise line said: "Out of 2,468 passengers only 30 have been affected so far." The Daily Echo subsequently reported that Princess said 57 people had reported ill, and that there had been an outbreak on the precceding cruise. According the the newspaper, the cruise line had notified passengers when they boarded the cruise that there had been an illness outbreak on the cruise that had just ended. |
Illness |
| May 14 |
Star Princess
Princess Cruises |
From a passenger: The ship was unable to dock in Stockholm, Sweden due to heavy fog. The ship anchored at Nynashamn, Sweden some 40 miles from Stockholm and began tendering service to Nynashamn. |
Change of port |
| May 13 |
Costa Atlantica
Costa Cruises |
The Chronicle Herald reports a 23-year-old assistant waiter was arrested Tuesday as he was getting off the ship in Halifax. He pleaded guilty Thursday in Halifax provincial court to charges of possessing and importing child pornography and was sentenced to four months in jail on each count, to be served concurrently. Canada Border Services Agency officers were inspecting crew members leaving the Italian-registered ship when Trilles admitted having child pornography consisting of two sexually explicit videos of children on both a USB flash drive and a laptop computer. The crew member had worked with Costa Cruises for three years. Last year, border agents on the Halifax waterfront charged two cruise ship employees for having child pornography. |
Child pornography siezed |
| May 12 |
Prince Albert II
Silversea Cruises |
The BBC reports the ship was impounded for several hours in Portsmouth amid safety fears. One concern was that it was overloaded. The other concern was that senior officers had not had enough rest. V.Ships, which manages the vessel, said although officers had rested, records had been incorrectly recorded. The excess load was also removed. The vessel left for Scotland shortly after 0000 BST on Tuesday, four hours later than it was scheduled to leave. UPDATE June 22: The Portsmouth News reports the ship was overloaded by 100 tonnes and the ship was held for 24 hours. A report released yesterday said investigators found 18 deficiencies, four of which gave grounds for detention. These included the vessel being overloaded to the point the port and starboard 'load line' marks were submerged. The report also says the ship's lifeboats were 'not ready for use'. Other problems found included infrequent staff breaks, three unsafe emergency routes in case of fire, and an air bubble in the ship's magnetic compass. |
Impounded |
| May 10 |
Vision of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
Dagbladet.no reports at least 80 passengers have reported ill on the current cruise. The ship left Oslo last Thursday and yesterday was in Dublin. It returns to Oslo Saturday. UPDATE MAY 19: Dagbladet.no reports the number of people reporting ill on the cruise was 296. |
Media |
| May 9 |
Caribbean
Princess
Princess Cruises |
From a passsenger: The ship hit the gangway structure and was delayed several hours in departure. I asked why we were were behind schedule and that is what I was told. |
Collision with gangway |
| May 8 |
Artemis
P&O Cruises |
The Daily Mail reports passengers on a Mediterranean cruise are 'in revolt' after engine problems caused them to miss out on several stops of their voyage. The itinerary originally included ten ports in six countries, featuring Barcelona, Cannes, Rome, Naples, Athens, Istanbul, Kusadasi, Majorca, Valencia, and Gibraltar during a 20-night journey. But technical difficulties forced the ship to abandon the original itinerary and instead call at Rome, Cannes, Barcelona and Palma, Majorca. Passengers have been left furious by the unscheduled changes to the itinerary and have now set up a committee to represent the 1,200 passengers in urgent talks over the disruption of the holiday cruise. One passenger said: 'People are extremely angry and it is not stretching the point too far to say they are in revolt over the way this cruise has been handled. 'Before we left Southampton we received a letter from P&O Cruises advising us we would be missing out Valencia and each passenger would receive £150 to spend on board during the voyage. 'Then, while we were at sea, the bombshell was dropped that due to continuing problems with the ship's fourth engine we would now not be calling at Naples or Gibraltar. 'Some people have paid £2,000 each for this cruise, others made arrangements to meet friends at ports we are not now visiting, and the advertised itinerary has been drastically changed. 'According to a letter we received in our cabins from the captain we will each be receiving a refund of £200 when we are back home.' The P&O Cruises' spokesman said the company has now doubled each passenger's on-board credit from £150 to £300. In a brief statement the company said: 'Due to a technical issue Artemis is operating at reduced speed therefore it has been necessary to make changes to the current itinerary. The ship returns to Southampton on May 16. See April 7 below for a similar incident. |
Engine problems - missed ports |
| May 7 |
Oceanic
Peace Boat |
The Croatia Times reports the ship repelled pirates after being attacked en route between Yemen and Somalia last night (Thurs). The crew managed to fend off the marauding pirates - who had attacked the ship with grenades - by blasting them with water hoses. The pirates were later picked up by a NATO patrol boat. |
Pirate attack |
| May 6 |
Zuiderdam
Holland America Line |
The CDC reports that 73 of 1846 passengers (3.95%) and 5 of 793 crew (0.63%) have reported ill with gastrointestinal illness. The ship arrives at Vancouver May 8th from a 19 day cruise. |
Illness |
| May 5 |
Explorer of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
From a reader: A family member on the ship told me last evening (5/5)that the ship's captain informed all passengers through an announcement that a crew member had climbed over a railing and jumped at 8:15 PM (local time). They circled for approximately 2 hours with all available ship personnel assisting in search. No passengers were allowed outside during this time. At approximately 12:23 AM this morning (eastern standard time) the ship headed back to its last port of call (San Juan) in an effort to locate missing crew person. A passenger wrote: Eight hours after we left Puerto Rico the bridge came on announcement and asked if anyone has seen a man named Santiago and if they knew anything about him; then about 30mins later they came on again and said a crew member had lowered himself in the water from deck 5 at 8:13pm then around 8:30 we turned around and went to the spot where he had jumped from and searched til 7AM when the Coast Guard finally got there and gave us the ok to leave which caused a 7 hour delay to return back to Cape Liberty, NJ. The missing crew member is 27 years old. The ship will apparently return to Bayonne, NJ more than eight hours late on Saturday. Passengers on the next sailing are advised to not arrive at the cruise terminal earlier than 7:30PM. |
Crew member overboard |
| May 5 |
Vision of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
The Times of India reports 94 people were stricken with vomiting and diarrhea while on a five-day voyage around northern Europe. It was the third outbreak of gastrointestinal illness in three months aboard the ship. Dagbladet.no reports the number ill by the end of the cruise was more than 300 people. |
Illness |
| May 5 |
Norwegian Epic
Norwegian Cruise Line |
USA Today reports a fire broke out earlier this week on the 150,000-ton Norwegian Epic at STX France's shipyard in St. Nazaire, France, where the vessel is under construction. The fire broke out just after 11:00 p.m. Monday on the rear of Deck 4, causing damage mostly to the ship's wiring. A full investigation is currently in process to determine the cause and extent of damage, and that the ship's June 24th maiden cruise is still on track. |
Fire |
| May 3 |
Pride of America
Norwegian Cruise Line America |
The Honolulu Advertiser reports a crewman fell overboard yesterday morning about 13 hours after the cruise ship left Honolulu Harbor and was quickly picked up by crew members in a rescue boat. |
Crew overboard (rescued alive) |
| May 1 |
Carnival Pride
Carnival Cruise Lines |
The Freeport Tribune reports police in Grand Bahama are investigating the apparent drowning of a 71 year old woman who was snorkeling at Deadman's Reef yesterday. According to reports, the victim - a woman from Baltimore, Maryland - arrived in Grand Bahama onboard the Carnival Pride cruise ship.She was among a group of visitors who went on a snorkeling trip at Deadman's Reef. A passenger writes: I'm not sure if Carnival will release this to the press ... several details of the Carnival-recommended excursion were outstanding in the lack of safety or precaution. Carol (the 71 year old woman) and her husband Harry, were on a snorkeling excursion with us. This was to be a 2.5 hour 'moderate activity' snorkeling excursion. In the Carnival description of moderate activity, it describes walking for periods of time or stairs, etc. We drove out (around 9:15) on a boat ~ 45 minutes from the ship with 50-75 people (very rough estimate). We later found out that some of the people there were from another excursion that was supposed to go out an hour before ours, which had been canceled due to ocean conditions (Carnival confirmed that there were excursions canceled due to weather conditions). When we went in the water (off-shore in an exposed area of the sea over a coral reef), we were quickly swept up away from the boat in a strong current, and the waves were extremely rough ---- even we (strong swimmers in our 20's) were struggling to swim against the current and keep from getting cut on the coral. ' Even for us, this quickly exceeded 'moderate activity', and we found ourselves exhausted from the short time we were in the ocean. After we got back to the boat (after only a few minutes), we noticed several other people were coming on board cut and bleeding (no medical attention or bandages were given). Within a few minutes of getting back on board, Carol was pulled from the water, unconscious and not breathing (we were told that it was a fellow passenger that first noticed her floating in the water, although others said she may have been yelling for help before). When the crew (5 or 6 young men) pulled her on board, they yelled for anyone with CPR training, and fellow passengers lept to try an revive her. The crew did not touch her for CPR or any other rescue breathing during the whole time. When Carol was not immediately revived, they hurriedly called for everyone left in the water to come back in - this took over a half of an hour to get everyone in from so far out - at one time all but one of the crew members had to go in the water to pull the last few out so that we could leave for shore. When we finally were able to move, we continued to shore. By now, alternate breathers had to be used, and at no time, even when we were moving, and no one else knew CPR, did the crew help try to revive Carol. There was also no working ship to shore radio or communication at all. About an hour into the ordeal, a fellow passenger was able to get cell reception and alerted the ship. My estimate is that CPR was done on her for an hour and a half to two hours. We did not reach shore until ~12:30, at which time medics were able to give her oxygen and compression. She was taken to a local hospital. Later that afternoon, we learned that she was not revived. We feel that, although Carnival makes no guarantee on the safety of these excursions, that they have an obligation to offer a certain level of screening and oversight, as they are directly recommending them. We were outraged at several obvious points that are taken for granted, but were in obvious deficiency in this case: 1) That the excursion is described accurately (level of activity, value, quality); 2) That the crew is adequately trained to deal with common emergency issues (cuts, loss of consciousness, heart attacks, breathing, etc) - IE - be CPR trained, offer basic lifeguard services (water activities), etc; 3) That the transportation is safe and equipped to handle emergencies (shore radio, life vests, adequate crew-to-passenger ratio, etc); 4) That the excursion will be canceled when conditions are unsafe - the safety of the passengers should ALWAYS come before the bottom line. Carnival should be responsible for ensuring this! See news story here. |
Death om shore excursion |
| April 29 |
Sovereign
Pullmantur Cruises |
From a reader: A Russian man, 54 years old, went overboard from the ship Sovereign after it left from Civitavecchia harbour. A search was immediatly undertaken with 11 patrol boats and airplanes. The man was found dead from a patrol boat out of Livorno sea. From Italian paper "Il Tirreno". |
Person overboard |
| April 28 |
Oosterdam
Holland America Line |
From a passenger: During the week of 3/17-3/24/2010, my husband and I cruised the Mexican Riviera Cruise on the ship. We were in Cabin 7046 (Port-side, Penthouse Suite). From day one of the cruise, and throughout the cruise, we had a smell of sewage throughout the suite, but worse in both the master & the guest bathroom. The smell seemed to be coming from the deck drains. We immediately informed the Cabin Steward who sprayed both bathrooms but this did not help at all. On day two, we complained to the Front Desk and a supervisor came to the room with a ship's plumber. The supervisor acknowledged the smell, the plumber said there was nothing wrong with the plumbing, he said we should pour hot water in the drains/toilet to clean it out. The front desk supervisor suggested we use hot coffee because she had used this on another ship and it kept the smell away longer. My husband said to her, "You want me to pour hot coffee in the drains?" She replied "Oh no, we will do it". They never did. The next day we informed the Hotel Manager (Marcella). She and another Supervisor, (Eddie), came to the room. Marcella said she did not smell anything, but they would try to do something, not sure what. We asked about alternate accommodations, but the only thing they "may" have to offer was a lower deck, inside stateroom. Our Penthouse Suite cost $7,000. We wanted to fly home but were advised against it as there was no guarantee that we would be compensated. The HAL home office offered us a $750 on board credit as compensation which we refused. We asked that they not put any credit on our account, but they went ahead, and did so anyway. We asked, again, that this offer be removed. Marcella and Eddie said they had never had a prior problem with this suite but we were told otherwise by crew. After many discussions with Eddie, nothing was ever resolved. On the final day of the cruise, the problem continued. We never heard from the Hotel Manager after that one encounter. The smell of sewage never disipated. I think the gas from sewage is methane, and we were exposed to it for the entire cruise. We kept the doors open to the balcony whenever we were in the room to keep it aired out. We had a guest in the suite, (an authority on ships), who complained of the smell, and said it was most definitely toxic. I am concerned about any long term outcome of being exposed for the week to toxic fumes. We e-mailed Walter, Guest Relations, at HAL, on 4/23/10. We never recieved a reply. Our travel agent has been working diligently to try to resolve this matter, but even she is encountering apathy, and road blocks. |
Sewage smell in room |
| April 28 |
Minerva
Swan Hellenic |
A reader writes that the May 1st cruise has been canceled. Here is what he writes: A representative of Swan Hellenic has called back, but would not give any details behind the reasons for the cancellation, saying that having cancelled the last cruise due to the ash problems, they took the opportunity to carry out some maintenance on the ship, and yesterday they discovered a minor issue. They are offering a full refund, to be in the post in the next couple of weeks, and 10% off a future cruise as long as it is taken by the end of this year. Another source reports: the May 1 ‘Classical Civilizations’ cruise from Aqaba to Istanbul, citing ‘essential and extended technical repairs,’ The next scheduled sailing is a May 15 ‘Gods & Tsars’ cruise, 16 days, from Istanbul to Malta. |
Canceled cruise |
| April 26 |
Zenith
Pullmantur Cruises |
According to Reuters, striking dockers and protesters at Greece's largest ports blocked hundreds of tourists from returning to their ship on Monday in a protest against reforms that negatively impact Greek ship workers. The Coast Guard said around 400 dockers and protesters prevented around 1,000 mostly Spanish passengers from returning to the ship. They were taken to hotels; the company hopes to be able to have the ship leave later today or early tomorrow morning. The ship earlier in the day wasn't allowed to dock at Piraeus and instead dropped anchor and tendered passengers to the port. |
Stuck ashore |
| April 26 |
Elation
Carnival Cruise Lines |
According to 760 AM radio, a spokesperson for Carnival Cruise Lines said an unidentified man died on board the ship during a three-day excursion to Ensenada. The man reportedly died of natural causes. The Elation pulled into San Diego at about 7 a.m. Monday, but passengers were not allowed to leave the ship for about three hours during an investigation. Another cruise set to disembark Monday was expected to leave on schedule. |
Delayed disembarkation |
| April 26 |
Carnival Liberty
Carnival Cruise Lines |
Froma reader: On January 9, 2010 my wife and I began a cruise on the Carnival Liberty from Miami. On the first morning at sea we were notified that the plumbing on our deck required that the water be shut off that day for an eight hour period. This was repeated two days later. I contacted Customer Service and supervisor Creg Szabo expressing concern for possible toxicity once water was restored because of my immune system as a cancer survivor and our ages in the late sixties. I showed him the attached photos we took of the water in our sink and toilet. He offered no solutions. I have written Carnival Cruise Lines asking why this problem couldn't have been fixed in port or during the night hours. I also asked why bottled water was not offered for personal hygiene and why qualified personnel did not ascertain the origin of the problem and communicate such to passengers. My request was denied. On February 22 Susan Cohn of their Guest Care office sent a nonsensical letter beginning with "Designing memorable trips is the heart of our business...Great food and service...will create wonderful memories..." She apologized "...that you felt let down." I have since contacted Affordable Tours through whom we booked the cruise, The Florida Division of Consumer Services, The US Public Health Service, and The Federal Maritime Commission. None has any regulatory authority over the cruise line industry. My advice: avoid Carnival Cruise Lines and understand that once at sea you're on your own. In retrospect, I think I should have screamed like hell at the Customer Service counter as some passengers were doing to get attention for their problems. |
Sanitary water issues |
| April 22 |
Ecstasy
Carnival Cruise Lines |
KBTX reports earlier today (April 21), at approximately 12.55 pm U.S. central time, the ship was forced to perform a maneuver to avoid an object in the water which resulted in the ship briefly listing to the port side. The object was a large buoy which was adrift and mostly submerged thereby preventing it from being detected by the ship's radar. The Carnival Ecstasy was on the final leg of a five-day cruise that departed Galveston on Saturday, April 17 with stops in Cozumel and Progreso, Mexico. According to a passenger, "The ship was shuddering. Just shake shake shake and that's when all the dishes were coming out. It was a mess, it looked like a food fight and that's when everybody jumped up screaming and running trying to get outside ... We thought we were going over. We really thought the whole ship was going to be tipped over ... They had to close down stores, all the glass went flying and it broke the glass on the outside of the liquor store." She said the ship was tilted for 10 minutes, enough to empty the pool. "People were crawled all over everybody and screaming and it was horrible and we finally got out to hang on the side of the balcony railing because it was tipped so much, if you didn't, you'd be sliding back into the restaurant." Subsequent reports indicate 60 passengers were treated for minor injuries after the ship listed 12 degrees. |
Severe list |
| April 22 |
Caribbean
Princess
Princess Cruises |
London Free Press reports a 41 year old man was killed and his 37 year old wife was seriously injured in a head-on accident involving the ATV they were riding and a truck. The crash occurred on the main road that connects the port city of Oranjestad, where cruise ships dock, with resorts that line beaches to the north. A newspaper account says the truck may have swerved into the ATV and police reportedly found drugs in the cab. The ATV rental was not one sanctioned by Princess Cruise Lines. |
Death ashore |
| April 21 |
Carnival Legend
Carnival Cruise Lines |
From a reader: On Wednesday the 21st when we were just about to leave Cozumel, a man jumped overboard. He was rescued and then taken into custody by the Mexican police. This was observed by many and I have a picture of the police boat. Later in the week we were told by a crew member that the man's new bride (the couple were on their honeymoon) was found in their stateroom beaten and unconcious. We were all very startled by the events. |
Pax overboard (rescued) |
| April 21 |
Pacific Sun
P&O Australia |
The New Zealand Herald reports the ship will be tied up in Auckland for at least another week while a faulty engine is repaired. The ship, which should have left last Thursday, has had to stay at Wynyard Wharf after a fault was found in one of its two engines. Work to repair the engine has been going on since then and it will be up to 10 more days before it can leave. Several cruises have had to be cancelled, and all passengers who were to sail on those trips are to get a full refund. A spokesman for P&O Cruises said a decision was made to keep the ship in Auckland after it looked as if any continued travelling would have long-term and potentially dangerous effects on the ship. |
Canceled cruises - Engine problems |
| April 20 |
Minerva
Swan Hellenic |
From a reader: Just heard that Swan Hellenic's Minerva has broken down in the Mediterranean. The ship had been taken for emergency dry dock in Syros in Greece for engine repair. No a/c or lighting. |
Propulsion problems |
| April 19 |
Boudicca
Fred
Olsen Cruises |
Cruises.co.uk reports the ship's current cruise has been cut short after a yet another case of Norovirus. According to Fred Olsen Cruises
the current cruise will be shortened by two days. The ship is on a 23 night cruise to the Eastern Mediterranean and sailed from Liverpool on 6th April. It will now arrive back on 27th April, calling at Izmir, Santorini, Ibiza and Almeria en route to Liverpool. As a gesture of good will, Fred. Olsen has given all passengers a £100 credit to their cabin accounts owing to the situation’s impact on the cruise as a whole. The Daily Mail reports 600 passengers (70% of those onboard) reported coming down with the gastrointestinal illness. NOTE: I have received the following message from Fred Olsen Cruises - It is correct that on the current cruise, a number of passengers did succumb to a norovirus-type illness, a situation which was made worse by two bouts of bad weather causing sea-sickness as well. The percentage of passengers affected throughout the entire cruise was 38%, and at the present time there are only two people who have been requested to remain in their cabins for two days.According to the Daily Mail, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines admitted ... 305 have been affected, but those travelling on the vessel claim as many as 650 of the 900 people on board have been affected by the norovirus. |
Illness |
| April 14 |
Kong Harald
Hurtigruten |
The Press and Journal reports a small outbreak of norovirus has been confirms on the ship. Accoridng to the paper, A Moray couple on a cruise around Norway have been confined to their cabin for four days after catching a highly contagious stomach bug. They set sail on a 12-day voyage around the Scandinavian country last week but have only been able to see the views along its coastline from the window of their cabin after an outbreak of norovirus on the ship. The couple have been on the ship since last Wednesday, but have been under quarantine since Friday. The cruise confirmed it was dealing with an outbreak of norovirus on the ship, but said only 11 of the 410 passengers and crew members on board were either confirmed cases or showing symptoms. |
Illness |
| April 10 |
Aurora & Arcadia
P&O Cruises |
The
Daily Mail reports passengers on both ships have been told to keep
their cabin lights off and not venture out onto the promenade deck
between the hours of 6.30pm and 7am while sailing through the Gulf of
Aden. Despite the blackout, they were permitted to leave their cabins.
The policy comes in the wake of increased concern about threat from
Somali pirates in the area. |
Lights out |
| April 10 |
Pacific Dawn
P&O Australia |
The Herald
Sun reports a pilot averted a possible disaster by bringing the
out-of-control ship to a stop before she reached Brisbane's busy
Gateway Bridge. The ship lost all power and steering just 700m away
from the six-lane bridge over the Brisbane River. Two tugboats got the
Pacific Dawn under control, bringing her to a complete standstill 70m
shy of the bridge. The ship's captain is investigating what caused the
fault, saying he believed a fuse had been affected by a saltwater leak.
A spokesman for Carnival Australia, which operates the Pacific Dawn,
said the ship had suffered power problems but it was not a major fault
and it would set sail again on Saturday afternoon. NOTE: This
is not the first time there have been engine problems. See
February 15th below. |
Near miss - Engine problems |
| April 9 |
Royal
Princess
Princess Cruises |
A poster
at Cruise
Critic writes: Early this morning the Royal
experienced a significant water leak in the Sabitini's on the 10th
deck. Water leaked all the way down to the crew quarters. The panorama
buffet, sabitini's are all closed. Food service this am so far
consisted of luke warm instant coffee put out near the hamburger site
on the pool deck. Crew is scrambling to set up deck five main dining
room for breakfast. No announcements yet. So early risers are stumbling
to figure out what is going on. no access to deck 10 whatsoever -
crewmen posted at all stairs and elevators. A bit later the some
p[erson writes: Announcement from ships's officer. Water break was
a fire hose fitting in Sterling steak house. All closed UFN. Elite
breakfast cancelled, English Pub lunch cancelled. All activities on
deck 10 aft cancelled UFN. Only dining is in main dinning room. "Sorry
ladies and gentlemen but these things sometimes happen." We heared a
loud bang at around 0500 in our cabin. Sounded like someone had dropped
something heavy onto the deck above. |
Significant water leak / damage |
| April 8 |
Prestige Cruise Holdings |
Travel
Weekly reports the parent company of Oceania Cruises
and Regent Seven Seas Cruises was fined $75,000 by
the U.S. Department of Transportation for not disclosing applicable
taxes and fees in its "free air" advertisements. The DOT said in a
consent order that ads for air-cruise packages did not include
government taxes or air-related fuel surcharges and service fees. The
DOT considers the failure to disclose such charges an unfair and
deceptive trade practice. "The 'free' air fares, as advertised, do not
provide adequate notice that certain taxes and fees, which properly may
be stated separately from the advertised fare, must be paid by the
traveler in order to obtain the 'free' air fare, nor of the amount of
such taxes and fees," the DOT order said. The DOT said that Prestige
had immediately revised pricing on its websites and informed printing
vendors to discontinue its 2009 and 2010 advertisements. Prestige also
told the DOT it had contacted some 31,000 travel agents to inform them
of the change, and that it informed marketing, sales and field staff
about the new advertising policy. In addition, Prestige told the DOT
that "in the interest of offering customers a more simple pricing
structure," Regent and Oceania have now implemented an all-inclusive
pricing model in which all airline-imposed fuel surcharges and
government taxes are now included within the advertised fare. |
Fine for deceptive advertising |
| April 7 |
Solstice
Celebrity Cruises |
A reader reports a fellow passenger on the ship was robbed while in St. Kitts. This occured not far from the port and there were several men together that were involved.
|
Robbery ashore |
| April 7 |
Artemis
P&O Cruises |
A poster
at Cruises.co.uk
writes, We have just returned from a Caribbean cruise on
Saturday which had to leave out St Barts Island, but gave us £150
spending extra spending money each due to an engine problem. The ship
needed the time in getting back to Southamton. Good cruise - old but
very good ship and a good size with 1200 guests and easy to meet
people. |
Engine problems - missed port |
| April 5 |
Caribbean
Princess
Princess Cruises |
From a reader: I was a
passenger on the Mar 28-Apr 4 sailing. On April 1 (yes April Fool's
Day) the ship listed severely as we approached our next port. I was on
deck taking a walk when I noticed the side of the ship I was on
appeared much higher than the other side. I then noticed water draining
from the pools and told my partner to grab his towel and run inside.
Bridge called crew to passenger assist stations. Several minutes later
the ship righted itself. The Captain later came on the intercom and
said there was a steering malfunction and the ship listed 5-9 degrees.
Crew accounts say it was much worse. The incident delayed our arrival
into port by as much as an hour. There are passenger accounts of dishes
falling in the buffet and a wine barrel snapping loose in the wine bar
and careening into the Piazza Court on Deck 5. |
Severe list |
| April 5 |
Voyager of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
A reader reports
the ship was effected by the same fog that delayed Carnival's ship (see
item below). The ship didn't get in to Galveston until the afternoon
and left at a little after 11:30pm. They
too faced long lines upon disembarkation, although not as long as the
Conquest's, resulting in the ship's earlier departure. |
Delayed embarkation &
debarkation |
| April 5 |
Carnival
Conquest
Carnival Cruise Lines |
The Galveston
Daily News reports passengers waited more than five hours Easter
Sunday to get off the ship that already had been delayed making port by
eight hours because of fog. Passengers blamed a lack of customs and
immigration screeners at the terminal for the massive delay. The
Conquest was due back in the Port of Galveston on Sunday morning after
a seven-day cruise to Key West and the Bahamas. A thick fog bank
delayed the ship’s arrival, and it didn’t make port until about 4 p.m.
Once at the dock, though, the delays continued, One passenger said it
was about 8:45 p.m. she and her family were able to get off the ship,
only to stand in one of seven lines set up for customs and immigration
screening. Port of Galveston police said that instead of letting
everyone off the ship in groups, as is the normal procedure, Carnival
cruise officials let everyone off at the same time. That overwhelmed
the system. Meanwhile, passengers who were supposed to board the ship
at 1 p.m. for a seven-day cruise to the Caribbean also were forced to
wait, with little information as to when, or if, they would leave
Galveston for their vacations. The ship finally departed at 1:30 AM on
April 6. |
Delayed embarkation &
debarkation |
| April 2 |
Oceana
P&O Cruises |
The Southern
Daily Echo reports 120 passengers who were struck down with a
vomiting bug while on board a Southampton cruise ship, arrived back in
the city this morning. Passengers reported contracting the norovirus
bug while on a 14-night cruise around the Caribbean. Passengers were
left furious after they discovered they had to pay for treatment on
board. A spokesman for the cruise company said the fees should be
reclaimed through travel insurance policies as they were no longer free
on board following a change of policy. Despite the outbreak P&O
said the ship was scheduled to leave on time for a two night cruise at
5pm today. |
Illness |
| March 31 |
Sensation
Carnival Cruise Lines |
The Nassau
Guardian reports the ship canceled its port call to Grand Bahama
island yesterday because of weather conditions. A deadly tornado
reportly set down on the island. |
Canceled port call |
| March 30 |
Mercury
Celebrity Cruises |
Charleston
Regional Business Journal reports the ship departed two hours late
(at 7PM) on Monday in order to accommodate extra cleaning given the
norovirus outbreaks on the four previous cruises. While more than 22%
of passengers reported ill on the cruise before the last one, on the
most recent cruise only 0.5% reported ill. |
Delayed departure |
| March 29 |
Black Watch
Fred Olsen Cruises |
The Southern
Daily Echo reports two Spanish men have today admitted charges of
attempting to smuggle cocaine with an estimated street value of
£1.4m through Southampton docks. They were arrested with 30
kilogrammes of the class A drug as they disembarked the ship at berth
106 on Saturday morning (March 27). Both pleaded guilty at Southampton
Magistrates’ Court this morning with being knowingly concerned in the
fraudulent evasion or attempted evasion of the prohibition on
importation imposed by section 3(1) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
They will next appear on April 29 at Southampton Crown Court. UPDATE: The passengers were subsequently sentenced to 12 years in jail for possession of almost £8 million in cocaine |
Drug bust |
| March 28 |
Sensation
Carnival Cruise Lines |
Florida
Today reports the ship has been detained four miles offshore while
authorities investigate a bomb threat. The bomb threat was reported
about 4 or 4:30 this morning. The Coast Guard is prohibiting the cruise
liner from entering Port Canaveral until security searches and
assessments are conducted. WESH-TV
subsequently reported that shortly before 10AM the FBI confirmed there
was no evidence of anything criminal at that time and that the
situation was probably a miscommunication between two people (the bomb
threat was reported to the ship by a guest who claims another guest
made the threat). The ship arrived in port at approximately 11AM. |
Bomb scare |
| March 23 |
Europa Hapag Lloyd |
It has been reported that
the ship has developed a problem in one of her four engines and three
cruises that were part of her world cruise have had to be cancelled.
The ship will now offer a non-stop liner voyage from Singapore to Nice,
between May 4 and 21. The 17-night voyage with no stops is being
offered from Euros 7,990 per person, with flight out to Singapore from
Frankfurt. The passenger load will be limited to about 275 so everyone
will get a veranda and there will be no single supplements. The voyage
will also be all-inclusive. This special trip has been planned to bring
the ship back to Europe after her defective engine has been replaced in
Singapore. |
Cruises canceled - new
itinerary |
| March 23 |
Maasdam
Holland America Line |
From a
reader: Me, my friend and his service dog recently took a
14-day Panama Canal cruise that turned out to be 3-day. First off, when
we embarked in San Diego on 03/19/10, we were not aware that the ship
was in Code Red with the Norovirus on board. Nor were we informed until
I demanded notification on 03/22/10 when we disembarked. My friend got
seriously ill which caused us to disembark in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico;
I had to take him to the hospital emergency when we returned to Long
Beach, Ca. from Mexico. For 3 days during the cruise we called each day
complaining about the air-conditioner dirt, our sinus problems as a
result, and requested a cabin change. We were told several times that a
cabin was available and that we would be moved or upgraded to a
different cabin, but later we were told there were no cabins available.
Even though, we took our service dog on board with Holland America
twice in the past 18 months, and we left the dog in the cabin at times
unattended when we go to dinner, this time the ship had a problem with
our service dog being left unattended in the cabin -- even though a
front desk employees told us that it was okay. So now they have banned
us and our dog from all future cruises owned by Carnival Cruise Lines.
NOTE: The company says it has a policy that
service dogs must never be left unattanded in a passenger cabin and
that in this case the passengers violated the policy. I am not in a
position to judge whether the cruise line's policy is reasonable or
whether it poses a problem for others who use a service dog. |
?Service dog unfriendly? |
| March 22 |
Radiance of the
Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
According to the cruise
community site Cruise
Line Fans, a "man overboard" was reported at 8:00 p.m. last
night from the ship. Here is the account:"At about 8pm last night
the call was heard OSCAR! OSCAR! OSCAR! PORT SIDE! The ship shook
as it slowed done and turned around. Flashing buoy rings could be
seen in the distance. The rescue boats was quickly launched.
Within 20 minutes CPR was being conducted on a man being brought back
onboard."According to the website, the man
was pronounced dead an hour later; he was a crew member who the website
says "apparently purposely went overboard," however this is conjecture
and may not be the case. |
Person (crew) overboard |
| March 18 |
Alta
Quasar Expeditions |
The Monreal
Gazette reports sixteen Canadian tourists had to be rescued after
the yacht they were travelling on struck a reef in the Galapagos
Islands Wednesday evening. "The boat was coming into harbour at 8:30
p.m. in Puerto Ayora and it struck a reef and couldn't free itself,"
said Fernando Diez of Quasar Expeditions in Quito. The passengers were
brought to shore and "no injuries were reported, and they were set up
in a waterfront hotel," he added. "We're aware of the sinking of the
ALTA cruise ship off the shore of Santa Cruz Island and all affected
Canadians are safe and accounted for," said Dana Cryderman of the
Foreign Affairs Department. |
Ship sinks |
| March 16 |
Volendam
Holland America Line |
ABC
in New South Wales reports the ship cancelled its visit to Batemans
Bay on the New South Wales far south coast. The ship was expected to
arrive this morning, but has announced that it will stop at Eden
instead for operational reasons. The ship was expected to bring around
1,500 passengers and crew to Batemans Bay. |
Itinerary change |
| March 15 |
Queen
Victoria
Cunard Line |
It has been reported the
ship left Shanghai yesterday evening 36 hours behind schedule dur to
thick fog. She is dropping Halong Bay and going straight to Phu My. |
Delayed departure - itinerary
change |
| March 15 |
Mercury
Celebrity Cruises |
USA
Today reports the ship is ending the current cruise a day early, on
Thursday (March 18), in order to allow for a deep cleaning. This is the
third successive cruises with a gastrointestinal illness outbreak --
numbers of ill have not yet been reported. The Miami
Herald reports the port call at British Virgin Islands was
cancelled and that the number reporting ill was 350 of 1,829
passengers. CNN
reports the CDC is making a no-sail recommendation for at least four
full days for the Celebrity Mercury cruise ship to investigate
recurring outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness, a CDC spokesman said
Monday. "The CDC and the cruise line corporate staff have not yet
determined why the controls that they were following have not been
effective," said CDC spokesman Ricardo Beato. Celebrity Cruises has
been notified of the no-sail recommendation, Beato said. CNN
reports the ship will depart two day late for its next cruise, alotting
three days for a deep cleaning. The CDC's no-sail recommendation was
for four full days. Celebrity Cruises spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez said
the cruise line worked with the CDC on a sanitation plan "that was
agreeable to both parties." UPDATE March 17: The CDC
reports that 369 of 1829 passengers (20.17%) and 13 of 857 crew (1.52%)
have reported ill with gastrointestinal illness. Update March
18: The CDC now reports that 406 of 1829 passengers (22.1%)
and 13 of 857 crew (1.52%) have reported ill with gastrointestinal
illness. |
Illness |
| March 14 |
Navigator of the
Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
From a reader: It
has been reported elsewhere that a young student has been critically
injured in an incident aboard Navigator o/t Seas during a Spring Break
cruise. Apparently the student was egged on by his friends to jump onto
the net strung across the empty swimming pool. The net gave way and he
fell face first into the bottom of the pool sustaining serious head
injuries. He was removed from the ship in Cozumel where his family have
joined him. It is not known who he is or what his current condition is.
|
Pax serious injury |
| March 14 |
Emerald
Princess
Princess Cruises |
From a reader:
Embarkation at Fort Lauderdale was delayed due to ship “inspections,”
and Horizon (buffet) has mandatory servers. You know what that means. |
Delayed embarkation - ?Illness? |
| March 14 |
Explorer of the
Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
From a passenger (re: 26 Feb sailing):
We have been triggered in writing this as a result of the the cruise
line not coming forward themselves. When it occurred we were informed
that this was a freak incident. We have subsequently found out that
this is totally untrue. It was due partially due to human error that on
2/28 at 4am the ship tilted 45 degrees - Guest lodging on level 3 were
under water, the Promenade was a titantic disaster, crew quickly left
stations to report to lifeboat staions, tvs crashing, objects in cabins
flying around. At 4:30am the Captain addresses the passengers and
admitted to "losing control of the ship- but they were back in control"
The tilt lasted a good two and a half minutes. Passengers were brought
for care while in Puerto Rico. From another passenger: The
info on your site about the serious damage and injured pax due to a 45
degree list for 2 minutes is false. I was actually there.....it was a
10 - 12 degree list for several seconds. NO DAMAGE to the ship...NO ONE
evacuated in San Juan. The list was due to a 100 MPH wind gust and the
wind switched from forward to starboard in seconds. It wasn't a Titanic
disaster; just lots of broken booze bottles in the store. The problem
was caused by the auto piloy (a computer) which was knocked out for a
minute when the wind changed. And another passenger writes:
The truth is in the first comment.
At the Captains Q&A on 3/3 he and the crew admitted to partial
human error (Pilot over compnesated when trying to starighten boat
out). Elderly passengers and others were taken to the hospital in San
Juan due to this incident. I was there as they were being removed from
ship. It did last over 2 minutes (the tilt) -- enough time for me
to get clothes/shoes on and to report to lifeboat station. Onboard
staff did head to life stations for asistance. The promenade did not
"only have broken liquor bottles" -- everything was all over. The staff
reacted to emergency response so quickly- they left the vacuum cleaners
they were running on and in place.
I am not sure what the last comment was - but it leads me to believe
they were not quite awake for the whole ordeal. No one mentioned damage
to the ship, but friends on Deck 3 outside window cabin knew they were
underwater. As per a ship employee- they were told to keep all quiet.
That is not fair to the cruising community. Hopefully this is not
someone trying to cover up the situation. Did they hear the exasperated
Captain making his announcement? Were they at the Q&A where
passengers were relentless for the truth of the matter? Editorial
comment: You have to decide for yourself which account is
correct -- I know which I believe. |
Extreme list - damage |
| March 13 |
Pacific Sun
P&O Australia |
Fiji Times
reports the ship's scheduled for arrival in Suva on Sunday and Denarau
on Monday has been cancelled. ATS Pacific's destination management
company manager Sally Cooper said the trip had been cancelled because
of mechanical problems on the ship. The cruise is ending early and
passengers are being given full refunds plus 25% off a future cruise. |
Port call canceled |
|
March 12 |
Vision of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
Associated
Press reports nearly 50 passengers have been stricken with vomiting
and diarrhea, a health official said Friday. "At least 47 passengers on
the Vision of the Seas, operated by Royal Caribbean International, were
stricken by what we believe are noroviruses that cause
gastroenteritis," a spokesman for the Brazilian National Agency for
Sanitary Vigilance said. The ship, docked in the port of Santos, was
not placed under quarantine and the nearly 2,000 passengers aboard were
allowed to leave since "no one was seriously ill and there was no
danger of the disease spreading." It was the ship's first cruise since
last week when 310 people came down with gastroenteritis caused by
noroviruses, the spokesman said. The ship will be cleansed again "but
now that we are pretty sure that noroviruses are again to blame, we
know what kind of cleaning agents to use," the spokesman said. |
Media |
| March 12 |
Sea
Princess
Princess Cruises |
From a passenger: We
sailed from Bonaire at midday on Wednesday 10th March 2010 as planned
and spent the next day at sea as planned sailing towards Grand Cayman.
We experienced force 6 winds on the day at sea and they were still
force 6 on arrival at Grand Cayman. The Captain announced that the Port
Authorities would not allow them to disembark pasengers so the ship
sailed around Grand Cayman without stopping and sailed slowly on
towards the final port of call in Jamaica. We not only missed our main
reason for the cruise but it meant we spent a full 2 1/2 days at sea
non stop. |
Missed port call |
| March 11 |
Ecstasy
Carnival Cruise Lines |
The Galveston
Daily News reports the ship was unable to dock today because of
dense fog, The four day cruise is likely to be delayed until 12:30 PM
tomorrow and will become a cruise to nowhere (dropping the scheduled
port call at Cozumel). |
Cruise delayed by fog |
| March 11 |
Columbus Hapag Lloyd |
ABS-CBN
News reports the ship accidentally bumped a cargo vessel and hit a
steel bar while docking at the Iloilo International Port in Loboc, La
Paz (Philippines) today. A Filipino crew said their captain did not
anticipate the rough current and strong winds, making the ship bump the
MV DaeJoo Ace, a Korean vessel that was unloading some National Food
Authority (NFA) Rice. After hitting the cargo vessel, it also bumped a
steel bar on the docking area. The front part of the cruise ship was
damaged. The ship was scheduled to leave Iloilo and proceed to Hong
Kong at 7 p.m. Thursday night, but it was delayed because it had to be
fixed before it can sail again. Nobody was hurt in the incident. |
Collision with ship & pier |
| March 11 |
Boudicca
Fred Olsen Cruises |
Euro
Weekly News reports three crew-members off the ship which stopped
off in Malaga Port last week had to be rushed to Carlos Haya Hospital
after suffering severe burns from a water leak in the ship’s
boiler-room. The ship left Southampton on March 3. Malaga was its first
stop and it was due to leave at 6pm after the passengers had spent the
day in the city. However, at approximately 5pm, a small explosion
caused boiling water to leak from a boiler and three Filipino men aged
between 30 and 33 who were working on it at the time were burned. The
captain called the emergency services and a private company sent a
mobile ICU with a doctor and two ambulances. The youngest of the three
men is in critical condition with second degree burns to 30 per cent of
his body. The ship left Malaga on its way to Cartagena just after 6pm. |
Severe injury of crew members |
| March 10 |
Crown Princess
Princess Cruises
Carnival Dream
Carnival Cruise Lines |
From a reader: Bothships
made multiple attempts at docking in Roatan, Honduras on March 9th.
Both ships were unable to dock due to high winds and ultimately left
the harbor to spend a day at sea. |
Skipped port call |
| March 10 |
Brilliance of the
Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
A reader writes:IEven
though we are rather late with our comments, we hope it still might be
of interest. We have been triggered in doing this as a result of the
most recent accidents (last week). This accident was very similar to
the one we had on Royal Caribbean and when it occurred we were informed
that this was a freak incident. We have subsequently found out that
this is totally untrue and the cruise companies have deliberately
suppressed any information regarding this type of accident. We now know
better! We sailed from Barcelona (1 Oct-13 October 2009) and through
the Mediterranean. Our cruise was fine until the last night (12/13
October 2009). At about 23.30 hrs our cabin window was smashed and the
cabin filled with water (as did the cabins either side of us). Our
cabin was filled with water within seconds destroying the cabin
interior including the ceiling falling down on the bed. We were lucky
to escape and could save our lives. All six passengers were of course
injured including my wife and myself. We want to warn any potential
passengers booking a cruise - especially with Royal Caribbean - based
on our experience: (1) This type of accident is far more common than
reported by either the cruise companies or media; (2) The medical
treatment and help after the accident on the ship was atrocious and
totally inadequate. The behavior of the crew was incredible!; (3)
Despite our lawyer's attempts to contact the company and my wife and
myself sending registered letters to the President and Managing
Director of Royal Caribbean we have received no reply or
acknowledgement that the "accident" even occurred; (4) So far we have
received absolutely no compensation for all our losses and injuries.
This also applies to the other 4 passengers. Final comment: freak waves
are common, the company we booked with, refuses to recognize their
responsibility or to pay any compensation. We have just set up our own
website and have no choice but to take Royal Caribbean to court. See the website for more
details. |
Broken out windows - how
common? |
| March 10 |
Boudicca
Fred Olsen Cruises |
BBC
reports 13 passengers are currently keeping to their rooms after
becoming ill on a Mediterranean cruise. Up to 30 people at any time
have experienced symptoms on the three-week trip. The situation has
been worsened by "very stormy" conditions in the eastern Mediterranean,
causing many people to suffer from sea-sickness. One passenger said the
passengers are going down like flies. The ship should arrive in
Southampton on 22 March and is due to set off on another cruise from
Liverpool the next day. |
Illness |
| March 9 |
Radiance of
the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
San
DIego News Network reports the ship is experiencing a norovirus
outbreak. It does not indicate the number person effected. |
Illness |
| March 8 |
Paradise
Carnival Cruise Lines |
The Press Telegram
reports A 30-year-old cruise ship passenger who allegedly broke into
the vessel's medical center and stole morphine and other drugs is set
to be arraigned before a Los Angeles federal magistrate this morning.
The manis charged with burglary involving controlled substances and
possession of a controlled substance. He was held in the brig until the
ship docked in Long Beach where he was interviewed and arrested by FBI
agents, court records show. According to an affidavit filed by an FBI
agent in support of the federal felony charges, a search of his cabin
hours after the Valentine's Day break-in uncovered numerous syringes of
the highly controlled painkillers morphine and Dilaudid, and hundreds
of Percocet tablets. |
Theft of drugs from infirmary |
| March 7 |
Rotterdam
Holland America Line |
From a passenger: The
ship is currently "Code Red" suspected to be the norovirus. Embarkation
today will be delayed approximately 2 hours while the ship is being
cleaned by crew and contracted union janitoial personnel. Complimentary
shuttle busses have been chartered to take guests to nearby Seaport
Village. |
Illness |
| March 5 |
Mercury
Celebrity Cruises |
The
Charleston Post and Courier reports since the ship set sail from
Charleston on Saturday, 55 of the 1,880 passengers have fallen ill with
norovirus. The ship's most recent departure was delayed a day as a
cleaning crew sanitized it, and three officials with the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention went aboard to test for the virus.UPDATE: The CDC reports that 182 of
1749 passengers (10.41%) and 14 of 850 crew (1.65%) reported ill on the
cruise ending March 8 in Charleston. |
Illness |
| March 5 |
Golden Princess
Princess Cruises |
From a
reader: I was on the Golden Princess mid Jan to end of Jan to
Hawai and was sick from a norovirus type of illness. Forced to keep
cabin for 2 days, no air with broken air condition ... What a way to
vacation. There was a rumor about 400 people sick and few escorted by
ambulance to the hospital. Of course Princess denies responsibility and
does not want to reveal the CDC report. |
Illness |
| March 5 |
Amorella
Viking LineVia Mare
Viamare Ferry Service |
Sky
News reports more than 1,000 people have been trapped on four ships
stuck in ice in the Baltic Sea off Sweden's east coast. The vessels,
which were among about 50 ships stuck firm - some for several days - in
the thick Baltic ice, have now been freed. The Swedish Maritime
Administration and ice-breaking vessels mounted a rescue but were
unable to reach the vessels immediately because of gale-force winds
around the Stockholm archipelago and the Finnish island of Aland.
Speaking before the ships were freed from the ice, a spokesman for the
rescuers said: "As soon as they break the ice, it freezes over again."
The cruise ships involved have been named as the Amorella, a passenger
ferry with 943 people on board, the smaller Via Mare ferry carrying 66
people, the roll-on-roll-off ferry Sea Wind with 32 people and the
Regal Star, a cargo ship with 56 people on board. |
Stuck in
ice |
| March 3 |
Jewel of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
The CDC
reports that 102 of 2158 passengers (4.7%) and 14 of 848 crew (1.6%)
have reported ill with gastrointestinal illness. The ship arrives at
Miami March 5th from an 11 day cruise. |
Illness |
| March 3 |
Vision of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
Internationa |
Globo.com
(Brazil) reports the ship was held today in Buzios, in the Lake
District, after 195 people showed signs of vomiting and diarrhea. The
National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) prevented all passengers
and crew from leaving the vessel until the authorities discover the
reason for the outbreak. The ship has 1987 passengers and 765 crew on
board. The ship began its its seven day cruise in Santos on March 1,
with stops scheduled in Buzios and Ilhabela. UPDATE: Associated
Press reports the ship has been quarantined by Brazilian authories.
Brazil's National Agency for Sanitary Vigilance says at least 310
people have been suffering symptoms from some kind of food poisoning.
The ships is expected to leave Buzios later today. |
Illness |
| March 3 |
Millennium
Celebrity Cruises |
The CDC
reports that 157 of 2020 passengers (7.76%) and 23 of 938 crew (2.45%)
have reported ill with gastrointestinal illness. The ship arrives at
San Juan March 5th from an 11 day cruise. From a passenger: I
was onboard the Feb 22 - Mar 5 cruise. I, my daughter and sister-in-law
that stayed in the same cabin all came down with the Norovirus. I have
been on 27 cruises, and never before have I experienced anything like
this. It was horrible, and the medical staff handled the situation
poorly. We were so sick, called down to the medical and they stated
they would be up to our cabin in 30 minutes. 3 hours later, we called
back and were then told we would have to come down. Let me tell you,
you are so sick and weak, this would have been impossible. We finally
made it down hours later, and were treated. It isn't pleasant to go and
sit in such a small area with more sick people who have this illness.
We have been given a credit for only one day, which was the length we
were in isolation, which in my opinion is a joke....You are so sick and
weak after this that is took us three days to feel up to anything and
then for the rest of the cruise we didn't do any excursions, with the
fear of being out on a catamaran and having a flare up. It really
limited the rest of the cruise. I might add, that while having been on
other cruises, RC for example, you always see them cleaning the public
areas. We never saw this on the Millennium, until after several days of
the captain coming on and announcing that the virus was going around
did they really start to try to clean the public areas. After we came
down with the virus, on about the fifth day of the cruise, they took
away anyone being able to serve themselves in the buffet or dining
room. So sorry it took them so long, even after knowing people were
coming down ill, did they start the process that should have been
enforced since the first day of anyone coming down with the illness. |
Illness |
| March 3 |
Maasdam
Holland America Line |
The CDC
reports that 168 of 1211 passengers (13.87%) and 19 of 559 crew (3.40%)
have reported ill with gastrointestinal illness. The ship arrives at
Fort Lauderdale March 5th from a 14 day cruise. |
Illness |
| March 3 |
Louis Majesty
Louis Cruises |
The Associated
Press reports 26-foot waves have crashed into the ship off France,
smashing glass windshields and killing two passengers. Another fourteen
people suffered light injuries, according to USA Today. It says the
accident occurred near the French Mediterranean port of Marseilles as
the ship was sailing from Barcelona to Genoa with 1,350 passengers and
580 crew. The victims were only identified as a German and an Italian
man. A Louis Cruise Lines spokesman said the ship was hit by three
"abnormally high" waves up to 26 feet (8 meters) high that broke glass
windshields in the forward section. It is heading back to Barcelona. UPDATE:
CNN
reports the cruise has been terminated and that the next cruise has
been cancelled. The ship is expected to return to service March 14th.
The ship is in Barcelona for repairs to be completed. |
Massive wave - 2 pax killed |
| March 3 |
Rosella
Viking Line |
YLE
(Finland) reports the Finnish cruise ship Rosella, run by Viking
Line, is one of two cruise ships that got caught in sea ice in
Stockholm's archipelago. The ship was unable to reach its destination
Kapellskär, and was forced to turn back to Mariehamn at around 10
p.m. Tuesday night. The Swedish cruise ship Birger Jarl was also
stopped by ice as it was on its way to Stockholm. It was stuck for
around a day before it managed to turn around and also return to
Mariehamn. |
Stuck in ice |
| March 2 |
Costa Serena
Costa Cruises |
A
reader reports there was a person overboard on the ship on Saturday
while in the Atlantic between the Canary Islands and Malaga. The news
was confirmed by the Company; the man overboard is a 34 year old French
man. |
Person overboard |
| March 2 |
Star
Princess
Princess Cruises |
Because of the earthquake and
tsunami in Chile, the ship has spent a couple of extra days in
Valparaiso (Chile) to allow passengers to join and leave the ship. As a
consequence, the itinerary for the March 2 cruise has dropped port
calls at Stanley (Falkland Islands) and Punta Arenas (Chile), |
Itinerary change |
| March 2 |
Island Escape
Thomson Cruises |
The Leicester
Mercury reports a family are among more than 70 angry British
holidaymakers seeking to take legal action after their cruise turned
into a Christmas nightmare. They say endured a fortnight of broken
toilets and leaking ceilings, while fellow passengers were struck down
by diarrhoea, fever and the contagious vomiting bug, norovirus. They
spent days on the ship when a series of ports refused to let the vessel
dock. The passenger said things started to go wrong on the third day
when the ship was refused entry to Madeira and again the next day at
Cadiz. Both times, guests were told the ports were closed and were
forced to stay on board where broken toilets meant a foul smell filled
the air. She said: "For three full days we were at sea, it was
difficult to find a toilet that was working. "There were awful smells
coming through the air-conditioning. If you went into a public toilet
they were filled up with stuff that had not been flushed. "There was
water coming in through the ceilings everywhere. I've never experienced
a holiday like it in my life." |
Lawsuit - illness, missed
ports, and more |
| March 2 |
Carnival Dream
Carnival Cruise Lines |
A passenger writes that a man
died while in port in St. Thomas. He choked in the dining room during
the early seating for dinner. Apparently he suffered a heart attack
while choking and died on board the ship. The captain announced that we
would have a delayed departure from St. Thomas as there has been a
"serious medical emergency" and the man and his family were removed
from the ship. |
Delayed departure |
| March 1 |
N/A |
From a reader:
I have been a travel agent for 24 years and have cruised dozens of
times. It seems that our Caribbean ports of call are getting more
and more dangerous. When our ship (Holland America's Eurodam) was
docked in San Juan last week (Feb 23, 2010) my daughter and I ran into
an American man who was badly beaten, bloody-faced and in shock.
He told us that he and his 73-yr-old father had taken a tour to
the Old San Juan Fort and had wandered into the adjacent neighborhood.
They were jumped by a group of men who punched his father in the
face, stole their wallets and beat them repeatedly. It was a
desperate situation, being badly hurt with no identification or money,
and no one who spoke English. His father had to be hospitalized,
and he says the San Juan police were of no help. UPDATE: Two
readers have responded to this posting and warned that the man is a
scam artist. One rader says: This guy has been approaching cruise
passengers for years. He catches two people alone near the port and
tells a well rehearsed story about wondering in the wrong neighborhood
and getting mugged. He reports that his father is in the hospital.
Isn’t it funny that his father is in the hospital but he still has
blood on his face? When asked about going to the police, he says that
he did and they are of no help. Another writes: We
encountered the EXACT same man with the EXACT same story when we were
in San Juan in November. He only wanted $12 for a taxi to the
hospital to get his father. We of course felt bad and gave him
more. He is dressed in a suit and speaks English without an
accent. His story sounds believable. The next day we
told the story to our taxi driver. He told us that the man is out
all the time asking for money. He has a skin condition that makes
him look like he was beat up. It's just a scam to make money. Advice:
One needs to be senstive to the risk of street crime, but also aware of
the scams played on cruise passengers.
|
Scam artist in San Juan - beware |
| March 1 |
Serenade
of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
From a reader: We
were aboard the ship last week (Feb 20th sailing). Serenade was turned
away from the port in Roseau, Dominica for high long swells. The
captain did a slow sail past the west coast of the island and we got a
day at sea. Only the port taxes were refunded. Many were disappointed
but no massive protests occurred. |
Missed port |
| February 27 |
Island
Princess
Princess Cruises |
From a reader:
Because of strong underwater currents at Huatulco, MX, the ship docked
and then less than 10 minutes later left the dock. The forward and aft
ropes broke. Many little boats in Huatulco sank as well as unmanned
boats went out to sea. You saw no wave (tsunami) but you could see like
an underwater flash flood/current moving the opposite direction from
the waves. It was cool to see. We were looking forward to Huatulco, but
I have not found anyone aboard who is upset. I am sure everyone is glad
just to have another day at sea before we end on Sunday. |
Aborted port call |
| February 26 |
Rotterdam
Holland
America Line |
A reader provided the
following report: Around 10 A.M. this morning, morning
while breakfast was going on, one guest, supposedly of cabin 1905,
jumped from the outside deck. The jump was apparently witnessed as
there was an immediate man overboard call and the ship manouvered
quickly and then anchored and a search happened. The ship staff
searched for hours, and then about 5 pm, they recovered the nan's body.
The ship has been under code red for 6 days for norovirus and the staff
was already under huge stress. Another passenger writes: The
GI illness was all over the ship - I was diagnosed with the
illness a day after the passenger jumped. All self-serve areas
were completely shut down to passenger access and were administered by
the crew – this was in place for the remainder of the journey. I
am a 46 year old male and this illness was one of the worst I ever had
I experienced diarrhea for a solid 36 hours, going to restroom
every 15 minutes (literally) coupled with vomiting. I was given 6
Imodium tablets to take, which didn’t stop it – I started running fever
and was very weak. Then I was given antibiotics with a stronger
anti-diarrheal medication. It finally subsided and was able to
keep food down. Please take caution if you hear of an outbreak on
a cruise line.
|
Passenger overboard
Illness |
| February 26 |
Mercury
Celebrity Cruises |
The ship's departure from
Charleston has been delayed for one day in order to permit deep
cleaning. The
Post and Courier reports Ppssengers who live more than a two-hour
drive from Charleston were being put up in area hotels, compliments of
the cruise line. All guests were being credited $50 for any extra
expenses incurred, plus a $20 credit. To accommodate the delay, the
cruise's itinerary was shortened by a day, with a planned call in Key
West, Fla., being canceled. Passengers who sail today were to be given
on on-board credit for two-days worth of their fare and a 25 percent
discount on future Celebrity cruise bookings, |
Delayed embarkation |
| February 26 |
Costa Europa
Costa Cruises |
Alarabiya
reports the ship crashed into a pier in the Egyptian resort town of
Sharm el-Sheikh, killing three crew members (from India, Honduras, and
Brazil -- all worked in the galley and were asleep in their beds at the
time of the accident) and injuring four tourists. The four tourists,
three British women (passengers) and an Italian man (crew), were taken
to hospital in stable condition. The ship had arrived in Sharm
el-Sheikh from the Red Sea port town of Safaga when it smashed into the
pier. It was not immediately clear what caused the accident. The
Sun (UK) includes pictures of the damage with its story. It was
subsequently announced that the cruise, which began at Dubai and was
scheduled to end at Savona was terminated; passengers were disembarked
and will be flown back to their destinations. UPDATE:
The cruises scheduled for March 4 and 22 have been canceled. |
Collision with pier - 3
Deaths and 4 injured |
| February 23 |
Maasdam
Holland
America Line |
From a passenger: Maasdam
has just gone into code red with a few cases of GI on board. So far
don't know the numbers but to prevent spreading it further and
developing into a major outbreak food and water is being served to us,
no salt and pepper shakers on tables etc. Only 2 days into it but
hopefully it will be over with soon!
|
Illness |
| February 23 |
Caribbean
Princess
Princess Cruises |
Cruise
Critic reports a tour bus carrying passengers to a "Tropical Forest
Hike and Beach" ship-sponsored shore excursion in Tortola went off the
road and flipped earlier today. Of the 20 passengers onboard, one
person was killed and two others were seriously injured. According to a
statement issued by the cruise line, Princess is still investigating
the details of this morning's accident. The injured passengers have
been taken to a local hospital, while the other tour participants are
back on the ship, being checked out by the ship's medical staff. The
passenger who died was a 24-year-old man from Rochester, New York, on
vacation with his parents, who were also on the tour. The ship is on
the second day of its seven-night Southern Caribbean itinerary. It was
in St. Thomas yesterday, and is scheduled to visit Antigua, St. Lucia
and Barbados before returning to its embarkation port of San Juan on
Sunday. UPDATE: The crash occurred as the bright
green tour bus was descending a steep hill on Tortola when it
reportedly veered off the road, crashed into a rocky embankment and
flipped on its side. There is some suggestion the brakes failed. The
driver has been charged with dangerous driving. |
Passenger death on shore
excursion; others injured |
| February 23 |
Black Watch
Fred Olsen Cruises |
Cruise
Business Review reports a woman from the UK has been awarded a
£70,000 settlement after her husband died from Legionnaire’s
Disease, contracted on board a Fred Olsen cruise. She and her husband
were on the ship in July 2007, when it was announced there had been an
outbreak of Legionnaire's on the ship. As a result, a number of
passengers were affected by the illness, the cruise ended early and the
couple returned home on 30th July. The 77 year old man died a couple of
days later. An inquest ruled the cruise line exposed the man to
Legionnaire’s Disease and found that the two doctors he saw (off ship)
failed to prescribe adequate medication, respond to his worsening
condition or arrange for his admission to hospital. |
Lawsuit settled |
| February 22 |
Mercury
Celebrity Cruises |
Associated
Press reports 326 guests and 27 crew members have fallen ill with a
stomach ailment -- passengers began complaining Sunday of upset
stomachs, vomiting and diarrhea. A company spokesperson said the ship's
medical facilities were overwhelmed and another doctor and nurse came
aboard in St. Kitts in the British Virgin Islands. The ship made four
other stops in the Caribbean. It's not clear what pathogen was
involved, but samples were being dropped off in Puerto Rico for
testing. The ship left Charleston on Feb. 15 and is scheduled to return
Feb. 26. UPDATE:
WIBW
reports the numberofill passengers is now 419. UPDATE Feb 25: CDC
reports the numbers ill were 411 of 1833 passengers (22.43%) and 32 of
843 crew (3.8%) Disembarking passengers spoke of a rumor that the
outbreak stemmed to a Caribbean excursion that included punch and
cookies, but this is unconfirmed. |
Illness |
| February 22 |
Costa Marina
Costa Cruises |
It has been reported that
because of mudslides & floods in Madeira, the ship has cancelled
her call into Funchal tomorrow. She is to remain at sea and make her
way to Tangiers for Wednesday. |
Canceled port call |
| February 21 |
Pacific Venus
Japan Cruise Line |
The Honolulu
Advertiser reports the U.S. Coast Guard will resume searching for a
crew member who went overboard Saturday when the ship was south of the
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The ship, on its way back to Japan,
reported the 24-year-old crew member went overboard at 2 p.m. Saturday.
The cruise ship was about 300 miles southwest of Midway Atoll in the
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands when it first reported the crew member
missing. |
Crew
member overboard |
| February 20 |
Concordia
Class
Afloat |
The Vancouver
Sun reports 64 passengers and crew were rescued in lifeboats in the
Atlantic Ocean after the sailing ship sank Thursday in rough waters
about 550 kilometres from Rio de Janeiro. The crew and passengers (high
school students) spent 16 to 18 hours huddled in life rafts until
rescuers found them in the dark. |
Sank |
| February 19 |
Ecstasy
Carnival Cruise Lines |
Fox
News Houston reports the FBI is investigating what they call a
mysterious death on the high seas. A 32-year-old woman was found dead
in her stateroom - she was on the cruise with her boyfriend. The cause
of death is unknown. Her body will be turned over to the medical
examiner when the ship docks in Galveston tomorrow (Saturday). UPDATE:
Police
News reports February 20th that the death has been ruled a
homicide; that the woman was beaten to death and the prime suspect is
the man she married while onboard the ship. However the Galveston
Daily News reports February 22nd that here was no evidence of
trauma and that the cause of death will be determined pending a
toxicology report, which can take from two to three weeks. UPDATE: The Galveston Daily News reports on April 28th that the woman died of a drug overdose. A toxicology report released Wednesday revealed the woman's blood-alcohol level was .27, more than three times the driving legal limit of .08. The report also said she had cocaine, promethazine and THC in her system. |
Death onboard |
| February 19 |
Statendam
Holland
America Line |
CTV
(Canada) reports a crew member aboard a ship housing 2010 Olympic
security forces is bring treated for leprosy. Leprosy is typically
characterized by skin rashes and nerve damage. It is easily treated
with antibiotics. The crew member visited a doctor aboard the ship, who
in turn referred the case to a dermatologist in Vancouver. Samples were
sent to a lab and came back positive. The crew member was immediately
treated. Leprosy is not highly contagious to begin with, and there is
no risk of the disease spreading 24 hours after treatment. The crew
member worked in the engine room so had no contact with passengers and
there is no indication that it spread to any other crew members. |
Leprosy |
| February 19 |
Voyager of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
The Jamaica
Gleaner reports the ship skipped its call at Montego Bay yesterday
because of weather. According to the Meteorological Service, winds over
27 knots were present in the Montego Bay area sometime after 6:30
yesterday morning. |
Skipped port call |
| February 19 |
Unknown |
WHEC TV
reports a Rochester, NY man has been indicted by a grand jury for
sexual assault of a 13 year old girl on a cruise ship. According to a
criminal complaint on December 31, 2006, a 13-year-old female boarded a
cruise ship in Florida to embark upon a cruise with her family. In the
early morning hours of January 1, 2007, the teen was walking around the
decks of the ship with friends when they were approached by a
24-year-old male passenger. According to the complaint, the man told
the teen and her friends that they should return to their cabin. The
girl followed the manwho took her to another deck where the sexual
assault allegedly took place. The complaint states that she was told if
she screamed, she would be thrown overboard. NOTE: Between
17.5 and 30 percent of sexual assaults on cruise ships are perpetrated
against minors. |
Sexual assault |
| February 18 |
Carnival Splendor
Carnival Cruise Lines |
At around 7:00 AM, ship's time, as we were coming into
Mazatlan, and I was in the shower, the ship made a hard turn that
caused the ship to list sharply. The Splendor turned so hard that
I had to hold on to the shower walls to stay upright and our cabin's
cabinet drawers fell open and the closet doors slammed open and shut.
Shortly after the event, I ventured into the hallways and found the
forward elevators flooded with water running down the shafts. The
Aft Lido Dining area under the Rotisserie also had several inches of
water flooding the area. We turned so hard the pools and hot tubs
had spilled thousands of gallons of water into the ship.
That evening after we departed port the Captain came on the P.A. system
and explained that we were going through heavy rain and rough seas that
morning and that the ship's radar had missed some small yachts in front
of the Splendor, and that last minute they spotted the boats by eye and
had turned sharply to avoid a collision. He said he made the
announcement because many passenger thought the heavy rains had flooded
the ship and that they felt the Splendor was not seaworthy.
|
Sharp turn causes flooding |
| February 16 |
Melody
MSC Cruises |
Brazilian
media reports about 150 people were unable to embark on a cruise
that left earlier than expected from the port of Fortaleza. The cruise
docked in Fortaleza at 10am and was scheduled to board between noon and
16:00. However, due to strong winds the ship left ahead of schedule.
Even crew members were left behind. The ship was beginning a seven day
cruise. |
Pax left behind |
| February 15 |
Pacific Dawn
P&O Australia |
From a passenger: I was a
passenger on the ship,when it left Brisbane on the 30th January 2010.
We encountered several problems with the ship. There were divers in
Hobart when we arrived to undertake ROUTINE MAINTENANCE. We were meant
to leave Hobart at 12am and when we awoke the next morning we were
still in Hobart. Lack of communication from the Captain as to what was
happening was very frustrating. We missed the scenic tour of Coles Bay,
Wineglass Bay, due to our very late departure. There was never an
apology for that. We had an all day tour booked to Cradle Mountain
which we had never been to before. Awoke early had breakfast then an
announcement was made that due to our late departure from Hobart we
would be arriving late at Burnie. All day tours were cancelled. Very
disappointing, but we were fortunate to purchase tickets on another
tour. We left Burnie to cross Bass Straight and we were looking forward
to our Puffing Billy Train Ride to the Dandenong Ranges the next day.
Once again we awoke early, had breakfast and surprise surprise, the
Captain made another announcement that during the night there had been
an electrical fault in the propeller and the ship had to slow down
dramatically. Once again our tour was cancelled, we then had to line up
for ages to get a ticket to disembark the ship, what a joke, we were in
dock with gang planks. Can you imagine 1700 people all trying to catch
a tram into Melbourne to find something to do. Passengers were very
angry whilst lining up for their ticket and lots of stories were
floating around as to what had actually gone wrong with the ship, they
all told me not to be put off by this experience, but to try other
Cruise Liners in future. We came back to our cabin one night to find a
letter from the Captain, informing us that a $25 credit had been made
to our accounts for the inconvenience. Why bother. I had been to
Tasmania when I was 19, the 3 places I had not visited were Wineglass
Bay, Cradle Mountain and I had never been to the Dandenong Ranges, so I
missed out on all 3. I was not impressed. This was my first cruise, I
loved the entertainment at night, the food and service was good but the
lack of communication from the Captain was disgusting. If he kept us
informed of what was happening I think the passengers would not have
been so angry. Friends had their toilet overflow, how disgusting, our
toilet stopped flushing, and throughout the ship at nightime there were
out of service signs on doors all over the place. I don't know if this
is normal or not, but hygiene is imperative on a cruise ship. We were
told by room stewards that routine maintenance was being performed on
our floor that was the reason the toilets were not working. No message
was placed in our mail slot to notify us of this. Common sense doesn't
seem to be used by those in charge. With reference to the breakdown in
Hobart, we were told by staff, SAME PROBLEM AS LAST MONTH IN NOUMEA. A
friend has recently been out to the Islands, the ship couldn't come
into the dock, the passengers were bused out to Fishermans Island to
board, they were told that it was because the steering was broken. |
Propulsion and maintenance
problems |
| February 15 |
Disney Magic
Disney
Cruise Line |
The Daily
Herald reports the ship's port call at Sint Maarten on Tuesday has
been cancelled because of sea conditions. That may be the case, however
it is also not unlikely that the ship's delayed departure from Port
Canaaveral (see February 13 below) is responsible for the change in
itinerary. |
Cancelled port call |
| February 15 |
Carnival Victory
Carnival Cruise Lines |
The Daily
Herald reports the ship cancelled its call at Sint Maarten on
February 13th because of sea conditions. It attempted to berth
alongside the pier but the ground swells proved to be too strong to
allow safe berthing. Cruise passengers had to spend another day at sea. |
Cancelled port call |
| February 14 |
Carnival Legend
Carnival Cruise Lines |
USA
Today reports the ship experienced mechanical probelms causing a
seven hour delayed arrival (and disembarkation/embarkation) at Tampa.
While the cruise line allowed passengers to make free phone calls to
change travel arrangements from Tampa, it did not permit free access to
computers, charging sign on fees of $3.95 and pay-as-you-go minute
charges of 75 cents - no exceptions. Guests speculated whether an
unusual incident that happened as the ship left its last port in
Roatan, Honduras on Friday might have contributed to the problem. As
the Legend pulled away from the island, it suddenly and momentarily
listed to starboard. The ship recovered quickly, and no one thought
much about it at the time, though some speculated the sudden pitch of
the Legend while leaving Roatan may actually have been caused by the
ship touching the channel wall as she made her way to the open sea.
February 16: The ship is in Cozumel today (rather than
tomorrow; Grand Cayman appears to have been dropped from the
itinerary), a port call not on the original itinerary. The change is a
conseqeunce of propulsion problems emerging on the last cruise.
According to USA
Today, the problems only effect the ship's speed -- all other
system are functioning properly. |
Mechanical problems |
| February 14 |
Norwegian Gem
Norwegian Cruise Line |
The following was received from a reader -- there has
been no independent confirmation about the accuracy of this report: My
wife and I recently took a cruise aboard the Norwegian Gem, leaving New
York on February 3, 2010, returning February 13, 2010. As we
approached the New York harbor, I noticed we were being followed by two
police boats and a police helicopter was circling overhead. We've
been on many cruises out of New York as my wife doesn't fly and this is
the first time we've had such an escort. The crew would only tell
us that there was a slight delay. An announcement to the crew
earlier mentioned a "code alpha". When we asked about it, we were
told it was nothing. As we left the terminal, we asked our porter
what was going on and he responded that there was a double suicide on
our ship. I don't know if this is true or not, there was nothing
in the news but the police presence was considerable, both offshore and
on. A discussion on Cruise
Critic gives additional insight into the story. |
?Suicide? |
| February 13 |
Mercury
Celebrity Cruises |
WBAL-TV
(Baltimore) reports six people onboard the ship are being treated
for exposure to carbon monoxide. Baltimore City fire officials said six
crew members have been taken to local hospitals. Crew members were
performing a welding operation on board the ship inside the engine room
Friday and after the work was done the members began to report
respiratory problems and other medical issues, and reported to the
ship's medical facility. The 6 crew members were transported to local
hospitals upon arrival in Baltimore. Baltimore City hazmat crews are
trying to determine where the leak was coming from. |
Carbon monoxide poisoning
(crew) |
| February 13 |
Disney Magic
Disney
Cruise Line |
Florida
Today reports gale force winds have prevented the ship from
returning home from the Bahamas this morning, leaving other anxious
travelers stranded at Port Canaveral. The ship was due for docking
early this morning, but now won't be back at port at least until late
this evening or Sunday morning. WInds and high seas prevented the ship
from leaving Castaway Cay (the ship's private island). The ship will
have to cruise into the northwesterly wind on its journey back to the
U.S. It is expected to take 13 hours to reach Port Canaveral. The delay
impacts thousands of people, including those already on the ship, and
the thousands more who were set to head out Saturday afternoon on the
ship's next seven-day cruise. |
Delayed disembarkation /
embarkation |
| February 12 |
Volendam
Holland
America Line |
The Howich
and Pakuranga Times reports a New Zealand couple were evicted from
the ship last summer in Juneau after a passenger who asked for a room
upgrade was turned down and jokingly commented that if he threatened to
jump overboard they'd probably give him a balcony cabin. The article
reports, he was sent immediately to the ship’s doctor and “I was told I
was a nut case”. Adding insult to injury they were confined to their
cabin, except for being escorted to meals, until the ship docked in
Juneau, Alaska. To their astonishment an ambulance was waiting to take
them to nearby Bartlett Hospital. “They made us take all our gear with
us,” says the passenger. “They had no right to put my wife off the ship
as well.” A day of tests followed, including a brain scan for a
possible tumour which the medics felt could explain his “erratic
behaviour”. After they racked up about $3330 in fees, the hospital gave
him a three-page letter saying he was fit and healthy, and was no
danger to himself or to anyone else. But when they returned to the
ship, they were refused permission to re-board it. |
Passengers evicted |
| February 8 |
Boudicca
Fred Olsen Cruises |
A poster at Cruise
Critic (message #20) reports, "As of Friday 5th Feb Fred Olsen says
about eighty people infected on the present cruise. The ship will again
be "deep cleansed" on its return. FO will write to all next group
passengers setting out the position and presumably the options. My
partner and I have strong recommendations from our GPs not to risk it
and I am cancelling and requesting refunds". |
Illness |
| February 7 |
Costa Victoria
Costa Cruises |
Terra
reports an Argentine tourist liner passenger died on Saturday during a
tour of the schooner in Ilha Grande, Angra dos Reis, south coast of Rio
de Janeiro. The woman was found by other passengers floating in a place
known as Blue Lagoon. The passenger was removed by the Fire Brigade and
sent to the Forensic Institute. Will open an administrative inquiry to
investigate the causes and circumstances of death. The name and age of
the woman was not disclosed. |
Death on shore |
| February 7 |
Isle of Arran
Caledonia MacBrayne Ferry |
BBC
reports fourteen passengers were brought to shore safely after the
ferry crashed into a pier on the Kintyre Peninsula while reversing into
the harbour at Kennacraig at about 0930 GMT, after sailing from Islay .
The ferry, which was also carrying a few commercial vehicles, hit the
pier but no-one was hurt in the incident. A spokesman for the ferry
company said early indications were that a mechanical fault was to
blame. Engineers are now assessing damage to the pier, which is not
thought to be too severe. |
Collision with pier |
| February 3 |
Imagination
Carnival Cruise Lines |
From a passenger: a passenger
from our ship died while parasailing in Cozumel. We got no
details other than the statement that a passenger had been in an
'unfortunate accident' while in Cozumel. The ship pulled out of
port about an hour late in order to complete paperwork related to the
accident, according to the cruise announcement. Another reader
sent a
URL for a story about the victim. He also said the victim's harness
failed and he dropped approx 250 ft. to the water and died. |
Death on shore |
| February 3 |
Boudicca
Fred Olsen Cruises |
The Antigua
Sun reports a British couple was attacked and robbed yesterday
while on an outing in the Villa area. It is reported that the couple
arrived in Antigua earlier yesterday, journeyed to the Villa area, and
while walking along Bay Street, they were approached by three young
men, who suddenly appeared from out of some nearby bushes. The youths
were armed with a piece of stick. The couple was then robbed of a
digital camera. During the incident, the female visitor received a blow
to her head with the stick while the man sustained an injury to his
hand, after being struck by the piece of stick. They were taken to the
Mount St. John Medical Centre (MSJMC) where they were treated and
discharged. |
Robbery ashore |
| February 2 |
Bahamas Celebration
Celebration Cruise
Line |
A reader writes: Illness hit many
of the passengers on the Jan 29 sailing to Nassau (including my wife).
Saturday night it seems at least 1/3 third of the passengers became ill
with gastrointestinal symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea. Ship crew
would not confirm norovirus or food poisoning, but the illness did not
seem to pass on to others, suggesting food poisoning. Returned to Fort
Lauderdale Monday morning. We had booked in the specialty restaurant
for the Sunday night. My wife was too sick to leave her stateroom, but
I went on my own. Another group was there: was supposed to be a group
of 16. Only 7 were there, as the rest were too ill. Other groups came
in later. One was to be 8 people; only 5 could come. Most everyone I
talked to had a partner or friends ill. It all seemed to begin from 6
pm Saturday to Sunday morning. |
Illness |
| January 30 |
Mariner of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
Posting at Cruise
Criitc: Greetings from the still intact Mariner of the Seas.
Yes, there was a bomb threat yesterday and for a while the entire port
was closed. Could not use the elevators and anything below deck 4 was
off limits. Kinda tough climbing the 3 decks of stairs for lunch, but
we made it Divers made numerous swims under the ship and the local law
enforcement was searching the lower decks. Around 5:00 pm Captain Per
came on and gave us the REAL story. We had received many announcements
throughout the day, but finally got the rest of the story. |
Bomb scare |
| January 28 |
Carnival Dream
Carnival Cruise Lines |
John
Heald's blog says the ship missed its port call at Costa Maya
because of high winds. Those same winds were responsible for Carnival
Glory cancelling her call at Mahogany Bay and going to the old
pier at Isla Roatan instead. |
Missed port call |
| January 28 |
Ecstasy
Carnival Cruise Lines |
Posters at Cruise
Critic indicate that as the ship was docking at Galveston it hit
the elevated gangway used to embark & disembark guests. There
wasn't much damage to the ship other than scraped paint, but several
window panels fell out of gangway. The $1.8 million structure is out of
commission for 30 days or more for repairs. The Galveston
County Daily News subsequently carried a story. |
Collision with pier |
| January 28 |
Carnival Miracle
Carnival Cruise Lines |
SKN Vibes
reports the ship collided with the pier at
Port Zante (St. Kitts) around 11:00 a.m. Upon arriving on the scene,
there was no permitted entry into the arrival hall, but the cruise ship
had a visible blackened dent on the right side. It was confirmed that
both the cruise ship and the port facility were damaged during this
morning’s berthing. “According to information received, while the ship
was berthing a gust of wind thrust the ship to hit one of the dolphins
and it subsequently hit a one of the fenders on the pier. The dolphin
and fender were damaged and the ship also sustained damages.” The ship
will remain in St. Kitts overnight for repairs and depart for Fort
Lauderdale tomorrow morning. It will arrive Sunday in Fort Lauderdale
four hours later than usual, arriving at noon. |
Collision with
pier |
| January 27 |
Queen Victoria
Cunard Line |
The CDC reports 19 of 983 crew (1.93%)
and 168 of 1854 passengers (9.06) reported ill on the cruise running 12
- 27 January. The cruise began in New York City; CDC performed an
operational inspection on January 15th in Fort Lauderdale; the cruise
ended in San Francisco. This is the second illness outbreak in a row. |
Illness |
| January 27 |
Clelia II
Travel Dynamics
International |
Thought to have sustained only minor damage to its
starboard propeller when a strong current pushed the ship against rocks
in Antarctica in late December (see December 27, 2009), the ship's
Antarctica season has now been canceled. When taken out of the water in
drydock, it was determined the propeller would need to be replaced. The
ship remains in drydock, awaiting the delivery of a propeller being
manufactured in Denmark. The propeller is expected to be installed by
the beginning of March. The ship is scheduled to sail the Amazon River
starting March 20. |
Cancelations |
| January 27 |
Norwegian Sky
Norwegian Cruise Line |
Bahama
Islands Info reports two cruise passengers were struck by a car at
10am Tuesday, January 26th, when the motorcycle they were on attempted
to negotiate a U-turn on Queens Highway. The rider and passenger were
knocked from the motorcycle, receiving injuries for which they were
transported to the Accident and Emergency Section of the Rand Memorial
Hospital. At 1:40pm, the female, age 64 years, succombed to her
injuries and the male, age 63 years, was treated and detained.
Investigations are being continued by officers at the Police Traffic
Department. |
Death ashore |
| January 26 |
Carnival Destiny
Carnival Cruise Lines |
Cruise
Critic reports the cancelingof two of the ship's sailings -- and
will modify three others -- to allow the ship to dry-dock for repairs
to its propulsion system. The dry-dock will take place February 13
through 20. Canceled: A five-night sailing, departing
on February 13 and a four-night sailing, departing on February 18, will
be canceled. Note: A brand-new, two-night cruise to
Nassau has been created, departing on February 20. Modified:
A five-night cruise on January 30 will now visit Cozumel and Costa Maya
instead of Ocho Rios and Grand Cayman, a four-night cruise on February
4 will visit Cozumel and skip a scheduled call in Key West, and a
five-night sailing, departing February 8, will include stops in
Freeport (rather than Grand Turk), Nassau and Half Moon Cay. |
Itinerary changes &
cancelations |
| January 22 |
Boudicca
Fred Olsen Cruises |
The
Portsmouth News reports 150 passengers became ill from norovirus on
the Canary Island cruise beginning January 4 and ending January 18. |
Illness |
| January 22 |
Royal Clipper
Star Clippers |
USA
Today reports a 30-year old New Mexico woman was found dead in
Antigua after she strayed from a barbecue near Pigeon Point Beach. The
woman was stabbed to death; her body was found at around 5 p.m. Tuesday
on a secluded trail at Windward Bay. A statement provided by Star
Clippers said authorities have a description of the alleged assailant,
but have not made an arrest. UPDATE: Star Clippers
have pulled out of Antigua til at least next winter. They will be
monitoring the port security over the summer and make a decision about
next winter nearer the time. They are replacing Antigua with Nevis on
the remaining cruises til they sail back to Europe in April. |
Murder ashore |
| January 22 |
Sapphire Princess
Princess Cruises |
From a passenger: The ship
cancelled our stop at Cabo San Lucas yesterday, January 21, 2010, due
to high seas because of storms that had passed through north of Cabo,
which would have slowed us down and possibly made people miss their
flights home from Los Angeles on Saturday. Good thing they did, we
think--pretty rough seas today. |
Canceled port call |
| January 21 |
Liberty of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
Cayman
News Service reports the body of a 37-year-old man has been
discovered in a cabin on board the ship. A spokesperson said that
officers were investigating the situation but were unable to give any
more details about how the man may have died. Police said they received
a report that the body had been found just before lunchtime today
(Thursday 21 January). The cruise had already caused controversy in
some quarters of the community as the ship had been chartered by a tour
operator catering to gay tourism. |
Death onboard |
| January 21 |
Fantasy
Carnival Cruise Lines |
The Press
Register reports today's departure was delayed because of heavy
fog in the Port of Mobile and surrounding areas. The ship will get
under way as soon as fog lifts sufficiently to tow the ship to the Gulf
of Mexico -- it could be later tonight, and it could be in the morning.
Update from Passenger: We were able to get
undeway about 11 PM as the fog broke somewhat. Arrived three hours late
in Cozumel two days later, but extended stay by two hours to make up.
On the way back, 200 miles from Mobile, passenger with illness along
with family members evacuated by helicopter from ship to hospital in
Mobile. The previous cruise by the way was two-three hours late
arriving back in Mobile and this caused a massive traffice jam for
miles at the terminal parking, and delayed the attempted departure by
two hours, which was then further delayed due to fog as previously
mentioned. The City of Mobile (who handles the parking deck/terminal)
is not well equipped to handle traffice at the cruise terminal when
situations such as this occur, as the parking garage can only barely
hold one ship's worth of vehicles. Returning cruise did arrive back in
Mobile on time. |
Fog delay |
| January 17 |
Expedition
GAP Expeditions |
I have been informed that GAP's new ship (Expedition)
didn't sail from Ushuaia on it most recent cruise. There is no word
about what is wrong. Passenegrs were accommodated on other ships
sailing to Antarctica. From a reader: The ship has
been laid up in Las Palmas with engine trouble since at least November.
|
Cancellation - engine trouble |
| January 16 |
Volendam
Holland
America Line |
Fiji
Times reports the ship cancelled its visit to Levuka after an
assessment by the ship's master that showed that the passage and the
currents were unsafe for passengers to go ashore from the vessel. The
ship had to leave for Suva early in the morning. The vessel started its
journey on January 6 from Sydney, Australia heading to New Caledonia,
on to Vanuatu, then to Fiji yesterday. |
Cancelled port call |
| January 14 |
Noordam
Holland America Line |
A passenger wrote to say the 10 day
cruise from Fort Lauderdale to the Caribbean (January 04-14 2010)
had a norovirus outbreak on the 3rd day of the 10 day cruise and
it ended on the last full day of the cruise. It was subsequently
learned that the number of people infected was 36-38, so below the 3%
threshold to be considered an outbreak. The cruise left Fort
Lauderdale 01/04/10 and the outbreak started 01/07/10 and ended
01/13/10. My cynical self became very suspicious when there was
no additional disinfecting practices observed. |
Illness |
| January 14 |
Amsterdam
Holland
America Line |
The CDC today reported the following illness outbreak
last month: The ship reported 8 of 610 (1.31%) crew and 56 of 1317
(4.25%) passengers had reported ill with gastrointestinal illness on a
21 day cruise ending December 23. |
Illness |
| January 14 |
Seven Seas Mariner
Regent Seven Seas Cruies |
The CDC today reported the following illness outbreak
last month: The ship reported 28 of 621 (4.51%) passengers had reported
ill with gastrointestinal illness on an 18 day cruise ending December
20. |
Illness |
| January 14 |
Norwegian Gem
Norwegian Cruise Line |
From a reader: Just got off the
ship. Had broken azipod propusion system when we left new york.. ship
was constantly listing and bouncing for five days until fixed in St.
Thomas. |
Propulsion problems |
| January 14 |
Sapphire Princess
Princess Cruises |
The following was received today from a reader
- I include it here because it is (in my mind) outrageous -- children
throwing food overboard are expelled from the ship, but the ship itself
regularly discharges liquified food waste as part of normal operations.
Make up your own mind on who is "right." For Christmas, my husband
and I gave our two grown sons and their families a cruise to Mexico on
the Sapphire Princess departing and returning to Los Angeles. We were
spending Christmas on the ship. It would have been the first time I had
managed to get both families together in 20 years for the holiday. On
Dec. 23, at sea between Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas, my two grandsons,
age 13 ands 15, were in a cabin of another boy they had met on the ship
and they had thrown some articles of food overboard including a fork.
Apparently, they were spotted on camera by security. The next day in
Cabo San Lucas (Christmas Eve day), my son, his wife and the two boys
were ordered off the ship by Captain Tony Herriott and had to pay their
own way back to Los Angeles. Three other families whose sons were also
involved were ordered off the ship. The Captain's actions devastated us
all. Needless to say, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were very
depressing days for the seven of us that remained on board. There is
now a new Christmas Grinch out there and he is the Captain of a
Princess cruise ship! |
Expulsion from ship |
| January 14 |
Musica
MSC Cruises |
Police reportedly suspect that a crew member
found dead on the ship off Brazil was strangled. The woman’s body was
discovered inside her cabin by a man believed to be her partner, the O
Globo newspaper reported. She worked as a bartender on the ship,
which was about to complete a seven-day, trans-Atlantic cruise. The man
who found the woman told police she hanged herself with a bedsheet, but
officers said they believed she was strangled, the newspaper said. |
Murder |
| January 14 |
Balmoral
Fred Olsen Cruises |
I have received an email from a passenger on the
current world cruise saying that 80 people have been confined to their
cabin because of norovirus. More information will be posted as it
becomes available. UPDATE
February 3: The CDC reports 293 of 1163
passengers (25.19%) and 17 of 519 crew (3.28%) reported ill on the
cruise running 5 January to 4 February (time in US waters on world
cruise). |
Illness |
| January 13 |
Explorer of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
RCI issued a statement that the ship's departure from
dry dock in Freeport, Bahamas was delayed. Because of this, it is
expected to arrive in Bayonne, New Jersey on Thursday, January 14 later
than originally scheduled. Guests are asked to not arrive at the port
before 3:00 p.m., but no later than 7:00 p.m. The delayed departure is
not expected to have an impact on the scheduled itinerary. |
Delayed departure |
| January 12 |
Aurora
P&O Cruises |
Cruises.co.uk
has a posting about an illness outbreak on the early stages of a world
cruise. As stated, Already the buffet restaurant has been closed
for four days and the Captains party has been postponed twice. It
is unclear the extent of the illness. |
Illness |
| January 12 |
Dawn Princess
Princess Cruises |
Sydney
Morning Herald reports more than 240 Australian passengers on a
cruise to New Zealand were struck down by a gastro virus. Health
officials boarded the ship when it docked at Station Pier in Melbourne
early yesterday to examine infection-control procedures after the
outbreak caused vomiting and diarrhoea among passengers. All passengers
were allowed to leave the ship which was ending its 13-night cruise in
Melbourne. "The infection control officer will be checking that
cleaning procedures have been carried out to prevent any further
spread," said Victorian health department spokesman Graeme Walker.
Carnival Australia, the company that operates the ship, confirmed the
outbreak happened three days after it left Melbourne on December 29
with about 2000 passengers. |
Illness |
| January 11 |
Disney Wonder
Disney
Cruise Line |
A poster at Cruise
Critic writes: Me, the hubby and three kids set sail 1-7-10
for a three day Bahamas on Disney Wonder. By midnight the second night,
our 13 year old was sick and about 16 hours later it hit the 11 year
old. Ship doctor said "GI" infection and gave us anti-nausea meds, he
was cranky and rude (which is unacceptable when dealing with sick
children). In his defense, however, I quickly discovered why. I'll bet
he and his staff were up all night dealing with sick people. By the
second morning, after the first kid got sick, all buffet stations were
no longer self-serve. Even the beverage stations on deck were roped off
and crew members were handing drinks to people. |
Illness |
| January 10 |
Norwegian Jade
Norwegian Cruise Line |
A reader
reports: there were reports on our sailing (Jan 3rd) that 300 pax
were sick with GI. One passenger who came down sick was a close friend
of mine. I can tell you that after the first day, all buffet areas were
no longer "self serve" and remained that way for the entire cruise. NCL
appeared to be very diligent in battling the outbreak. Crew was
sanitizing constantly, and did seem to get it under control. From
another reader: According to one ship announcement the
illness involved up to 8% of the passengers. The Jade went into
extensive prevention measures including hand santisers in every
elevator, crew with hand spray at the entrance to each restaurant and
the major shop, removal of all brochures about trips which normally are
available for passenger reading, and substituting crew for all
self-service including bread at dinner, coffee and tea in the cafe.
When we returned to Barcelona at the end of the cruise continuing
passengers were obliged to leave the ship for several hours in the
morning as the entire ship was being sanitized. Sorry to say it didn't
work for me - I came down with a virus of short duration at the second
Moroccan port with complications that lasted several days. Medical
attention was prompt, and free, and, fortunately, effective. |
Illness |
| January 9 |
Queen Victoria
Cunard Line |
The Daily
Mail erroneously reports the ship could be refused entry into the
U.S. after an outbreak of a winter vomiting bug. The paper said the
Queen Victoria will not be allowed to dock if the virus reaches an
epidemic rate, where 15 per cent of those onboard are affected,
authorities warn. So far, 30 people have been confined to their cabins.
The ship's captain has ordered a major cleaning operation of handrails,
dining rooms and other public areas in a bid to protect the remaining
2,000 or so passengers and crew. Self-service of food and beverages has
been stopped and receptions have been canceled. The ship is due to
arrive at New York on Monday and on Tuesday will leave for the
Caribbean for a two-week tour. Update: South
Florida Business Review and the CDC reports 9.55% of passengers
(179) reported ill as did eight (0.981%) of ther crew. |
Illness |
| January 8 |
Poesia
MSC Cruises |
The Sun
Sentinel reports Authorities evacuated hundreds of people from a
Port Everglades terminal after a customs agent stopped a man with a
suspicious liquid that may have sickened the agent. The 25-year-old man
accused of having the liquid was held on a charge of marijuana
possession because he also was found with the drug. The customs agent,
as well as the Broward Sheriff's Office, was on the lookout for
subjects of arrest warrants, as passengers were disembarking from a
cruise ship about 10:30 a.m. at Terminal 4. The ship had returned to
Port Everglades after a five-night cruise. About 300 people, including
cruise ship passengers, were in the terminal during the incident and
were evacuated. Meanwhile, passengers still on the ship were required
to remain aboard while hazardous materials technicians investigated.
Officials reopened the terminal about three hours after the incident. |
Terminal evacuated |
| January 7 |
Norwegian Jade
Norwegian Cruise Line |
A reader reports a man
went overboard. Discussions with crew indicated he was wearing a life
jacket. He was apparently rescued and then put off the ship in Turkey.
I personally heard the operation bright star called out about 30
minutes before sunset, and saw the ship come to a stop. I then saw
rescue boats in the water. It was announced by the cruise director at
the show that night that the man was "rescued and re-united with his
family". From another reader: I will confirm that
there was a passenger overboard, off the coast of Egypt. The ship
changed course to locate and rescue him, and lucky for him they were
quick about it, as darkness was falling. We heard unofficially that he
jumped with a life jacket, and officially that he was rescued alive. From
the jumper: This is seriously from the man overboard that
day. I'm writing to you cuz some of what was posted isn't correct.
January 9th 2010 close to sunset shortly after awaking from a nap I
jumped from the 11th floor with my life vest on. Reason for
jumping..... well that's between me and my family. I was told the
rescue took 30min. I was then deported off the ship in Egypt to another
hospital. Only injuries i had where bruised legs and a cramped neck for
a week. Thankful for being alive. Although i now owe ncl 5,565,000 for
jumping not even including the 1,300.00 stay at the ic on ship. |
Overboard
- Rescued alive |
| January 7 |
Hannah Glover and Rockmmore
Rockmore Co. |
The
Boston Herald reports the company has agreed to pay more than
$300,000 in fines and other costs for dumping raw sewage directly from
its vessels into coastal waters and the Charles River. Prosecutors
allege that Marblehead-based Rockmore Co. Inc., which operates the
vessels Hannah Glover and Rockmore, from 1990 until 2006 knowingly
discharged untreated sewage from the boats toilets into North Shore
waters. The Hannah Glover offers dinner cruises, sightseeing trips, and
ferry service. The Rockmore is a restaurant boat moored in Salem
Harbor. Under an agreement reached with federal prosecutors, the
company agreed to plead guilty to two counts of violating federal law,
and pay a $225,000 fine as well as a $75,000 payment to the state
environmental trust. |
Environmental |
| January 7 |
Black
Watch
Fred Olsen Cruises |
The
BVI Beacon reports a second cruise passenger died this month while
swimming off Tortola (see January 5 below). The latest incident
involved an 86 year old man swimming at Nanny Cay Beach who was pulled
from the water at 2:30 PM and transported to Peebles Hospital. He was
pronounced dead at 3:30 PM, and an autopsy is pending. |
Death ashore |
| January 6 |
Star Clipper
Star Clippers Cruises |
Travel
Pulse reports the company announced that its tall ship in Asia will
relocate to the Caribbean for the 2010 winter season due to increased
piracy in the Far East. Following its summer sailings in the Eastern
Mediterranean, Star Clipper will reposition to St. Maarten in November
for seven-night roundtrip cruises. The company has deployed a ship to
the Far East during the winter for more than a decade. The Far East
itineraries, featuring Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, have been well
received, but owner Mikael Krafft said geopolitical conditions, not
related directly to the destinations themselves, dictated this decision. |
Piracy concerns |
| January 5 |
Sea Princess
Princess Cruises |
Virgin
Islands Platinum News reports a cruise passenger from a ship docked
at Tortola died after he was pulled out of the sea in the area of Cane
Garden Bay (CGB) beach. The man, in his 50´s, was unconscious but
relentless CPR work assisted him in regaining some level of
consciousness. At one point, he was not breathing on his own and
information suggests that he had a weak pulse. Rescuers were able to
get a substantial amount of food and liquid out of him during rescuing
measures at the beach, however one and a half hours later he was
pronounced dead at the hospital. BVI lifeguard officials have been
warning persons not to go into areas where there are red flags and a
bulletin issued for Tuesday had clearly stated the dangerous areas on
Tortola included Apple Bay, Josiah´s Bay, Lambert Beach and with
Cane Garden Bay being the most dangerous for Tuesday. All these areas
have red flags as warning signs. |
Death ashore |
| January 5 |
Star Princess
Princess Cruises |
Cruise Critic and Princess Cruises reported the ship
arrived in Valparaiso late (at around 11:30 AM rather than 6:00 AM),
likely the result of rough seas enroute to the port. Many passengers
needed assistance changing flight arrangements given the late arrival.
The report was removed from both websites later in the day, so a URL
cannot be given. |
Late arrival |
| January 5 |
Norwegian Gem
Norwegian
Cruise Line |
From a reader: It has been reported
that Norwegian Gem is experiencing propulsion trouble on her current
cruise. This has caused at least one session of drifting without power
and missing the call into San Juan. Currently there are no further
details as to what the cause is or if it will impact future cruises. |
Propulsion problems |
| January 5 |
Monarch of the Seas
Royal Caribbean
International |
Times
Now reports forty eight hours after the suicide of a 23-year old
woman (see December 31, 2009), her husband who is an onboard manager
has gone missing. A subseqeunt report in Indian
Express indicates he went missing after the ship docked in Miami. |
Crew member missing |
| January 5 |
Balmoral
Fred Olsen Cruises |
Kent
Online reports the ship is undergoing a thorough clean and
disinfection at Dover today after more than 350 passengers and crew
were taken ill during a Christmas and New Year cruise. The ship leaves
tonight on a 106-night world cruise. |
Illness |
| January 4 |
Georich
Phillipine ferry |
Manilla
Bulletin reports a Cebu-bound (Phillipines) passenger vessel conked
out off Apo Island Saturday night, leaving the fate of 465 passengers
to strong winds and waves for nearly an hour before it was towed to
safety. The vessel left the port of Dapitan at 4:15 p.m. on Saturday on
its way to Cebu. It was set to make a stopover in Dumaguete City but
about two hours into the voyage, it experienced a malfunction in its
main engine. It was subsequently determined that some parts of the
engine were damaged beyond repair. The ship was towed to the Dumaguete
port. The ship was scheduled to arrive in Dumaguete at 8 PM but the
incident delayed its arrival to 2 AM the following day, Sunday. |
Engine failure |
| January 3 |
Summit
Celebrity Cruises |
From a passenger: At St. Thomas
Celebrity Summit had a bomb scare clearing passengers and providing
food at a restaurant on the pier Jan 3 about 2:00pm local time |
Bomb scare |
| January 3 |
Indian ferry |
AFP
reports at least 27 people were missing after an overcrowded ferry
capsized in a river in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal. The
small vessel, with 38 passengers on board, sank while crossing the
Runarayan river in Kolaghat, about 50 kilometres southwest of the state
capital Kolkata. It was overcrowded and leaking, and overturned in the
middle of the river. Local fishermen had managed to rescue nine men and
two children after the incident. |
Sunk |
| January 2 |
Palm Beach Princess Casino |
CBS
12 News reports the ship arrived back at the dock three and a half
hours late after being stalled five miles off shore. Passengers finally
disembarked at 3:45am. An officer aboard the ship says high winds
prevented the gambling boat from making a safe return. Passengers tell
CBS 12 they were concerned the delay could have been a result of a
malfunctioning engine. A tug boat brought the Palm Beach Princess back
to the dock. All passengers received a voucher for a free cruise. |
Delayed arrival |
Click here for events in 2009 |
